Broken Mirrors
by Bullet in the Feels
Summary: Alfred F. Jones has always felt something was missing from his life. He goes to his parents about the matter. Now, he is determined to find out what happened to his brother, who went missing thirteen years prior to this little meeting of the family. Will Alfred be able to see his brother again, or is it already too late?Humans!This is my first story, so any feedback is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

_Broken Mirrors_

Alfred F. Jones always felt like there was something missing from his life. It's been a long time since he gave up on finding out what that one thing was. He didn't know where to look, and the feeling pinned him to the wall every morning. But he didn't know what to do. There really wasn't anyone who could tell him what to do, for surely they did not know. And yet, he desperately felt someone should know. The only question to that... Was who? The father who hated him now since declaring he was fine on his own? The other father, who he knew loved him, but still didn't really understand a lot of things happening in his life..? Even his closest friends, he feared, would only up and leave him, or laugh at him for something like this.

He stood in front of his mirror, trying to figure things out himself, but he only stood there, staring right at himself for a good twenty minutes, with his music softly playing in the background. It was around four in the morning, but Alfred couldn't sleep. It wasn't the cold air swarming inside from the screen on his window, or the emptiness of his own bedroom.. But it was this complete dread that seem to fill his entire being, shaking him whole. He didn't see himself in the mirror anymore. It was someone else... Someone who looked an awful lot like him, but wasn't quite him. His hair was longer, his glasses rounder, and his eyes were softer, less blue, and slightly more violet. Alfred tried to focus on one thing, but when he did, the person became him once more. Was he just seeing things?

Alfred glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It was pretty late for him to not have slept at all. Perhaps it was just his mind playing tricks on him. But it was a shame, really. Who was that, that he saw in the mirror, if not himself? He felt it was something he would not learn for a long time, but he also knew that is was about time he left, and did something about it this time. He was going to get some help... But not from a professional. He was going to talk to his father who adopted him so long ago. Alfred knew that he was bound to have answers.

Wheat blond hair bounced up and down as the quick steps of the young man dictated. The cowlick that stood up had refused to be pushed down once again early this morning, but Alfred didn't really care today. He was in a bit of a hurry, scrambling out the door with a Captain America t-shirt and unzipped jeans. His glasses were skewed on his face as he clambered into his truck, messily putting the keys in the ignition, and firing his engine to life. A flash of blue shone down the road as Alfred sped his way to the one place he knew his father was at: a pub.

Arthur Kirkland was a proud gentleman with a knack for getting drunk often. He owned his own bar just a hop and a skip away from where his son, Alfred lived. In other words: across an ocean, and down the road from there. Arthur was just opening the pub, the one at the corner of the way. He wasn't actually expecting people to come in right away, but sometimes there was that occasional person who just needed a drink to start their day, or they were just laid off, and needed something to drown away their worries for a while. What he definitely wasn't expecting was for his son, who lived in another country, to come bursting through his just cleaned glass door with a loud shout.

"Dad!" he called out.

"Alfred, your zipper is down."

His cheeks didn't redden, nor did Alfred seem to care. "Dad," he said again, "I need your help with something."

Arthur was taken aback. Alfred F. Jones, the son whom he had adopted, who had decided early on, that he could live on his own, was asking him, for help.

"My dear boy, what is it?"

"Lately, I've been feeling that there's something missing in my life... Do you know how I'm feeling... And maybe... Do you know how to get rid of this feeling?"

Arthur let out a heavy sigh. He should have known something like this would come up... The two were so close that it was bound to one day, one would know/remember the other was gone. But right now, it didn't seem to be the case in remembering. Not even the most powerful of spells could get rid of this from the brain.

"Listen Love," Arthur started, putting an arm around Alfred's shoulders, "there is something that your papa and I have neglected to tell you, and that is something we hoped would never come up again."

Alfred looked into Arthur's green eyes, not even commenting on his eyebrows as per usual. He was baffled. What was his own father hiding from him? "Wha...What do you mean?" Alfred asked his father, his eyebrows knitting together with a look of deep confusion.

"Please sit down.. I'm going to call Papa."

Alfred nodded, finding his way to the couch just up the stairs of the bar. Arthur turned around the sign, putting up a note stating that there was some issues with supply and they will be open again soon. Arthur then went over to the phone, and rang up his husband who was just about to go off on a business trip, and was currently finishing up a few things at his office building right there in London.

"Mon Ange," the Frenchman answered, knowing who it was right away.

"Shut it Frog, this is important here. Alfred just came to me, and he's asking me something that I think you should really be here to explain..."

The man on the other end almost dropped the phone, knowing immediately what his husband was talking about... Something that they had hoped to never speak about ever again, for it was just too hard for one, if not both men to hear. Alfred is only twenty-one, but that seemed to be enough for him to realize something was wrong … Both of his parents hoped that they would never have to explain anything along the lines of his brother again... But alas, the time has come, and therefore, there was nothing that could be done besides explain what has happened, and why there is something wrong. Otherwise, they both knew that, Alfred would go on his own to figure this out, going to others. Both men knew that they should feel lucky that he came to them first and foremost. Who knows what would have happened otherwise.

There was dead silence in the living room of the small flat as Alfred and Arthur waited for Francis, Arthur's husband, to arrive. Neither of the two volunteered to speak up, but it seemed both of them were just fine with that. Though, after a while, Alfred began fidgeting, becoming impatient for his other father to come home. What was taking him so long anyway? He didn't know.

Despite the dying minutes passing by, the sound of a purring engine was heard, but suddenly cut short as the driver killed it, the sound of heavily rushed movement was heard approaching the door, and soon, a man with waving blond hair burst into the living room, his blue eyes flying between both his husband, and his son. He went to Alfred, and gave him a hug, his eyes already showing his concern and sadness.

"You've grown, Alfred," was all he said before looking to Arthur. "What is zhis about now?" he asked, though he already knew. The tone in Arthur's voice made it apparent it was about their other son, Alfred's little brother. And the way Francis spoke now, made it quite obvious he knew about the reason they were gathered.

"Okay, so you guys clearly know something. Spit it out," Alfred demanded, crossing his legs and folding his arms, much like Arthur did when he demanded answers.

Francis would have laughed had it not been for the reason this conversation was happening. Even with the image of Arthur's face when he would point it out, Francis could not bring forth a smile. Though he would never admit it out loud, Francis had always favored Alfred's brother over the child himself. Unlike Alfred, the other child was quiet, and obedient. He loved everyone, and never fussed. Both children were very intelligent, but Alfred never really liked that. They were both skilled in other things, and that was just fine... But sometimes, it's those exact things that draws other people to others. Then that horrible thing had to happen to his baby angel. And that's why he was so stagnant on not talking about it... But the time has come where it can wait no longer.

The blond Frenchman left the room, returning with a small shoebox. It was wrapped in a red white blanket that made some sort of distorted design. Alfred stared at it in fascination, wondering what the heck it was... But he also knew that he was going to find that out shortly... His parents just had to... Get their bearings.

There was a term of silence that continued on longer than Alfred would have liked, but that's just how it happened, and he couldn't control that, he knew. Another thing that crossed his mind was that this was much more serious than he had originally anticipated, which will complicate things a lot more than he really wanted. But that's just the way it would be, and really, there wasn't a thing he could do about that, he was afraid.

Finally obtaining what was necessary, Francis took hold of the end of the blanket, taking it off with great care, as if he was afraid that the thing would break if not handled correctly. The box itself was a plain blue, and full up to the brim with random stuff. Looking closer, Alfred could see most of it, was newspapers and newspaper clippings. There were a couple other things too, but it was the clippings that stuck out the most. There were pictures there, of him, of his family, but there was an extra person there too... He kinda looked like Alfred, and was about the same age... There was a single picture of him and Alfred too, as well as a picture of just him.

"Who..." Alfred was almost too scared to ask. "Who is this boy... The other one in the pictures...?"

Arthur handed over another newspaper with a massive headline.

**MISSING CHILD TAKEN FROM SCHOOL**

**Matthew Bonnefoy-Kirkland, a six-year-old at Hetalia Elementary, was**

**last seen packing up his backpack at the end of the day, ready to go to**

**his father, Arthur, with his brother, Alfred. There was no suspicious characters**

**in the area, which is the biggest mystery of this entire thing.**

The article continued to say more, but Alfred was done looking at it. How could he not remember? His own brother! Looking at the date of the paper, and the age stated in the article, Matthew was just two years younger than Alfred himself.

Alfred closely examined the picture of his little brother. He was cute, his face just radiated innocence and purity. He had light colored, wavy hair that hugged his face even nicer than Francis' perfect locks. He had round, oval shaped glasses, contradictory to Alfred's rectangular ones, as well as the difference in Matthew's odd curl and Alfred's cowlick. What else was Alfred forgetting? He couldn't believe he could forget someone so important to him, someone so close to him... And he was just now remembering? He was ashamed of himself for it. Alfred wanted to find his brother now... But... It's been nearly thirteen years since he was taken... No one even knew if Matthew was even still _alive._


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred was never one for turning in early, but there were always exceptions to things such as this. He was exhausted, but the information he had been recently given has kept him awake. It was the mainly guilt that kept him from sleeping, but it was the knowing there was a chance of finding Matthew, was making him want to sleep so he had the energy to search. Thirteen years is a long time and an unlucky number. If Matthew was still alive... Alfred feared it was not for long.

"Just you wait, Matthew," Alfred told himself, acting as if his brother was there in the room with him, "we'll find you, and bring you home. After all, that's where you belong."

And with that, Alfred closed his eyes, falling asleep on the spare bed in his parents' flat. He didn't dream that night, nor did he sleep for long. He was too absorbed in finding his brother, that he wanted to get going right away, and delay his finding no further... But he also knew that this would be the hardest thing he has ever dealt with in his life. The thoughts of Matthew being all alone scared him. Who knew who took him, who has him now? No one knew where he was, or if he was still alive. The idea that Matthew might be dead, or worse, be suffering, waiting for someone to rescue him, but no one will...just crushed Alfred's heart. The thought that he might not remember his family at all scared him even more. Alfred needed to know that wherever his brother was, he was safe, happy, and loved.

At six in the morning, Alfred was in the living room, reading more paper clippings about his brother... His description, and all that jazz. He was remembering more and more about his brother, something he was very grateful for. Everything was starting to come back to him; the sound of his brother's soft voice, the tears that came when he was in trouble, or ignored again... Everything seemed so clear, but at the same time, this information didn't give Alfred anything to go by. Why would someone take a kid who was always ignored? Why would anyone think he was always left alone, as if he wasn't there? Alfred always saw him, and so did their parents... Most of the time.

He supposed that was the big question though too. Why? Matthew wasn't the strongest kid in the world, but he wasn't the weakest either; especially considering his age at the time. Alfred really didn't have time to think anymore than that before Arthur came dawdling in the room, yawning from the sleep he got... Or lack thereof.

"Alfred, what are you doing up?" he questioned, giving Alfred an equally confused expression.

"Dad, did you know that Matthew was missing right away?" the younger inquired. "And don't you lie. I will know if you are, so don't make thing difficult for you, or for me."

Arthur sighed. "I shall be honest then. I did not know it at first. I remember Matthew telling me that he had hockey practice, but that one of his classmate's mother would be driving him... I assumed that he would be there, but then when it came time to pick him up... Well, he was forgotten... By me... However, the mother of the other boy called me, asking if someone had already picked up your brother... I told her that no one had, and she started panicking, nearly screaming at me that my son was not there anymore, and pleaded to tell me I was lying... She was a kind woman, who loved children... It's hard to not like Matthew, for he was just too sweet, too innocent, and too kind to understand the dangers of his own lifestyle he had already begun to lead. When I heard her words, I went to your papa, and asked if he had picked up your brother, but alas, he had not... I went back and told her... She called the police for us, fearing worse than I had ever imagined... Losing Matthew... We had never thought... We expected you to run away, but you graced us without that worry... Your father and I …. We never thought about Matthew getting into any trouble ever..." Arthur allowed his voice to drop from there, but that's really all Alfred needed to get somewhere.

"So the papers lied. He didn't disappear from the school. It was from the rink. Dad, where did Matthew have his practices?" Alfred asked suddenly, his eyes wide with both realization and urgency. "Take me there. Please. We might be able to find something if they left his locker untouched. He had a locker, right? Doesn't matter, Dad, please, take me there. We could figure out something that could help us figure out what happened to my little brother. Please, Dad. You've gotta help me. He was your son, as well as me. That being said, you should care about this, so stop acting like you've got no heart!"

In truth, Arthur really did care. He was just struck silent after Alfred took over the conversation. The more Alfred spoke, and the more Arthur thought about it himself, he grasped what was overlooked all those years ago. Tears stung his eyes as he punched himself inwardly. If he had noticed this earlier, the trail wouldn't have been dry, or cold. They probably would have found him, and Matthew wouldn't be with someone else right now, or even dead. No one knew, so that possibility was always out there, which is what scared Arthur the most. He could have his son right now, but because he was too stupid to correct the police, Matthew was still lost.

"You're blaming yourself, aren't you," Alfred more so stated than asked. "For what happened with Matthew, and why he hasn't been found yet... Right?"

Ashamed of himself, for he knew what his son was thinking, Arthur hung his head. "I'm afraid so, my dear boy."

"Where's Papa? He should help us too. The more people we have, the faster we'll get to the bottom of this case."

"You talk as if this is an easy thing, and that you have experience with this. Are you so sure that we'll be able to find him at this rate? With what we're talking about? Because if you're as confident as you sound-"

"I know what I'm doing. I've done this before."

"Have you?" Arthur demanded of this. He demanded to know the truth.

Alfred didn't back down at all. He stood up from his place, and said with a voice that even the strictest parent couldn't imitate, "Yes, I have." Alfred stayed strong, and didn't mention that the extent of his skills went from finding his phone, to discovering the place of where his neighbor's cat had gone. That, he figured was information his father didn't need to know.

Arthur looked to his son, incredulously. This wasn't like Alfred usually was, and it surely didn't lead to anything else. Should he really believe his dear son? Aside from all his better judgment, Arthur nodded his head, and left the room, returning shortly after, with his husband.

"I have to leave soon.. .My flight is to leave in just a couple hours."

"Enough time," Alfred said, dragging both men to Arthur's clean and pristine vehicle.

Without further question, Arthur revved up the engine, and drove away to the old rink Matthew used to practice in.

It was clearly old and out of use now. The doors were nearly rusted off their hinges, their glass stained with what was assumed years of dirt and grime buildup. The bricks were covered in moss and mushrooms, and the building itself, was just out of date. Breaking into it was the least of their worries... It was finding their way around, that was the true problem. Out of the three, Arthur knew where to go... But even his knowledge only went so far. He knew how to get to the main rink, and the front desk, but that was about all there is of it. Where the skaters or players went to change, or get in their gear, was beyond them all. The signs, if there were any, were long gone, leaving the three with still no clue where they were going.

"Out of all sports you didn't get into," Arthur complained to Alfred.

"I'm not that big into ice, you know that," Alfred stated. "I was more of the foot

ball... Soccer type."

"Yeah, you and your stupid egg shaped, pathetic excuse for a ball," Arthur scoffed. "Honestly, who came up with that sport?"

"I dunno, but whoever it was, is a genius."

"I've found something!" Francis exclaimed from one of the corners. He was near a door in much better shape than the outside ones, however, this one was, at one time, an automatic, which means the only way to open it, as to force it.

"I got this dudes," Alfred said, going to the door, pulling it with all his might, yielding no results.

"Perhaps you should use reasoning and common sense?" Arthur suggested, picking up a fair sized rock about the size of his fist, and feeling it by tossing it a couple times. Winding up, Arthur pitched it, perfectly nailing the door... The rock simply bounced off.

"Reasoning and common sense huh?" Alfred asked, giving Arthur a look that said: "Really?"

"Be quiet. It's old glass... I was expecting it to be easily broken..."

"Perhaps we should try somezing else, no?" Francis suggested before a fight could break out between the two.

Reluctantly, and with one final glare, Alfred nodded in agreement with his father.

"So what do you suppose we do then?" Arthur prompted.

That did absolutely nothing to belittle the blond man. He looked around a bit more before his eyes landed on an open hallway. "Down zere," Francis pointed to said hallway, and began walking down that way. Alfred and Arthur quickly started after him, wondering what could be down the hall.

There was a good five minutes before the trio came across an accessible door. It was clear they had gone the right way when they saw all the rusty lockers around. Maybe they would find something that would be of some use.

Alfred ran a finger along the top of the lockers, Arthur scolding him and going on about having to get shots before they can go any further. But there was something familiar about this room to Alfred. It was a large, empty space where there was room for many things to happen at once. Maybe it was for after season parties, or off-ice training. The room stunk. There was the smell of feet, and body odor, as if no one who went in here knew what the heck deodorant was. The three men plugged their noses, but didn't leave the room. The only sound was of their shuffling feet, looking for something that might help them.

"This place used to be prosperous, and was actually very well off... I wonder what happened," Arthur spoke, breaking the deafening silence.

"Well," Alfred provided an explanation, "this place was connected to our school.. They probably didn't want to send their kids here in fear that they would end up like Mattie."

Francis nodded solemnly. "Zat is more zan likely ze case here."

"This locker's open," Arthur stated, opening it further, the hinges squeaking loudly in their ears. "There's skates... gear... and... a note in here," the Brit informed the other two, reaching his hand inside to grab the note. Arthur quickly retracted his arm, shaking spiderwebs off from between his fingers before reaching in again.

**Matthew is mine.**

The three men stared at the three words. If only they knew who this was, and why they would put this here.

Suddenly, there was a sound from the hallway they had come from.

"Th-this place isn't... Isn't ha-haunted... Right?" Alfred asked shakily.

"If it is, we are just as stupid as those couples in those stupid movies you watch at night," Arthur commented.

"Shut up!" Alfred said louder than he meant to.

"Let's just get out of here," Francis decided for the group, leading his son, and his husband out of that locker room. That note was bothering him more than the other two, but there was no way he was going to show it. Where was his son? Why had they been so stupid anyway? One thing that bothered him most though: the woman who had called the police... Had she not specified the location at which Matthew was _actually _seen last?

A/N : I apologize for anything I'm doing wrong (i.e. speakings, habits, acting as if the rights are mine, cause I basically own nothing...)


	3. Chapter 3

Francis had to go off before anything else could be found out. His responsibility for his job kept him away, but he would do some thinking while there too, there was no doubt about that. But while he was gone, the other two were left alone, and that was the one thing that Frenchman thought should not happen because they were bound to do more fighting than anything else.

However, Arthur was determined not to start anything with his son. Finding his younger son was much more important to him than something so silly, like his other son's language. He felt so stupid, so helpless, but at the same time, he felt like he knew just what to do, even though in reality, he didn't.

"Dad, do you recognize this handwriting?" Alfred asked from the other room, staring intently at all the evidence laid out on the table before him.

Arthur went over to his son, picking up the note again. He would've thought that being he was the first one to see it, that he would have known straight away if he knew whose handwriting that was, but nonetheless, he examined it carefully, thinking back to all the people he knew, and all the fonts of their writing. But alas, he couldn't come up with anything. He didn't know, and him not knowing wouldn't get him anywhere. Though it did look strangely familiar in a way to the man... he just couldn't place a finger on it.

The green eyed man shook his head, half of his mouth frowning, while the other stayed in its neutral position. His overly thick eyebrows scrunching together, still trying to figure things out with the note... It was a facial expression closely related to the one Alfred also had plastered on his face.

"You know the handwriting, don't you," Alfred once again stated, instead of asked. "You just don't know a name."

Arthur nodded, his eyes not leaving the note. It was just three words, but it was written flamboyantly. The only person he could think who could have written something like that was Francis... But that couldn't be it... Francis was with him the day it happened... He mourned when he found his son was gone... Francis didn't know his way around the place the note was found...

_Then how did he find that hallway so fast? _Arthur's mind asked him. _It was too far for you and Alfred to see... He's never very observant when it comes to where he is usually... Was it because he really _had_ been there before, or because he was being extra careful?_

Arthur shook his head. No way. It couldn't be Francis. It just couldn't be. Francis couldn't keep a secret longer than five minutes of being told. He couldn't possibly keep the fact that he had Matthew hidden away for long. _But all the evidence points to him... _As of right now. There was really no point in fighting with himself, but Arthur kept going back and forth.

Alfred looked up to his father, cocking his head to the side with a silent question. "Uh.. Dad?" he asked carefully, waving a hand in front of the man's face when he got no response.

Arthur blinked, looking to his son. "What is it, my dear boy?"

"I was wondering what you were doing... You zoned out there for a few minutes... Did you come up with something?"

Arthur shook his head. "I was just thinking, that's all. It wouldn't be the first time, and honestly, you are the one to do it all the time when you were young. A hard habit to break after all these years I'm afraid."

Alfred's gaze lingered just a moment longer before he turned his attention back to all the pieces there before them. The papers, the note, the pictures... They were all there, and they were just waiting to be connected somehow, someway. The only problem was... There was no way _to _connect them as of that moment.

Both men stood there, staring blankly at the table before them, unmoving as the stillest waters left undisturbed. It was in that silence where a noise came from Alfred's stomach.

With a reddening face, Alfred turned to his father once more, and suggested, "Maybe we could get some chow? I'm starving."

Arthur could only roll his eyes. "When isn't your stomach satisfied?"

Alfred put a thought provoked look on his face, putting his hand to his chin, cupping it softly, as if deep in mind. "I can think of a few times where I was stuffed full..."

Arthur whacked the back of Alfred's head. "Bloody wanker," he mumbled, walking across the room to boil some water for a meal.

"There's gotta be something we can pick up from this though," Alfred continued the conversation. "Like... We have all these clues, but we aren't able to connect anything at all. Please tell me that you know of something that I'm just not getting at here..."

"I'm afraid not my boy. There is only so much to be seen at a time. Just be patient.. We'll think of something soon."

"Yeah, but I am _not _going back in that building. I don't know who suggested that, but it was stupid, and I regret going... But I also don't..." Alfred deflated onto a chair, his arms folded against his chest. Arthur didn't mention that it was _Alfred _who suggested it, but he did let loose a little smirk as he continued to prepare some food.

Because Alfred was one of the only ones who actually ate Arthur's food, besides the man himself, it made for a not-so-fussy meal, and the two were able to continue their detective work shortly after. The two men were permanently bent over all the papers for the next three hours before someone got anywhere.

"Ugh, we are getting _nowhere_!" Alfred stretched out his complaints loudly. He looked up to the other man next to him, hoping he had figured something out.

"Alfred, I just don't know... We don't have enough to go by from what we have here... Wait... What's that?"

"What's what?" Alfred inquired, following where Arthur's eyes led, but saw nothing.

"This," Arthur stated, reaching across the table to pick up a piece of paper that both men could have sworn, was not there before.

The paper was already yellowing, telling both Alfred and Arthur that it was quite old. The ink was starting to fade off of the sheet, but there was still some words and phrases that were still legible. Aside from that, there were a couple mysterious stains that could have been one of three things... Coffee, grease, or blood. Deciding not to think about it, Arthur went straight to the words in which he could reach and understand.

"Three days have passed since the disappearance of... Matthew... But no one has picked up on anything that could tell us, or the police, where to go with the case, or where he could possibly be. Matthew has officially been titled a "Missing Person" starting just two days prior to this day."

"What's the date on that one?" Alfred asked his father who had started choking up again.

"Uh..." Arthur started, his droning voice hitching when he found it. "July fourteenth."

Alfred nodded, thinking. "That was ten days after my birthday... Dad, when is Mattie's birthday?"

Arthur thought he was just going to snap under all this sadness. Alfred had always called Matthew "Mattie," but even with his remembrance, he shouldn't know about that quite yet. It tore Arthur apart knowing that his little boy who was lost so long ago... Might not be found, and now his older brother was learning about all this, and that said older brother was now bringing up all these painful memories... There was nothing that could be more hurtful than what was going on right.

"Uh... Dad?"

"Yes, sorry, I didn't quite catch that last part."

"When's Matthew's birthday?"

Arthur sighed, thankful that Alfred didn't use the nickname this time, for that is what really was distracting him. "Ah, yes... The first of July."

Alfred looked back to the papers... So he went missing eight days after he turned six?"

Arthur agreed with his son. "That's right... We forgot about it again, and we planned to throw a surprise party after Matthew was done with practice, but that never happened.

Alfred looked away, thinking about all the information he had as of that moment. It didn't seem to match up at all! They were going to throw him a party, but they didn't even remember where he was, or that he was even gone. They were going to throw him a party, however, they didn't even know he wasn't in the house. How was that possible?

_Dad knows something... Not just about that note either... Could he possibly be guilty with the crime... Was Dad apart of this entire disappearance... If so... That means he really _does _know where Matthew is, and if he really is dead. But... Why would he keep this secret? Is he _trying _to keep him away from the world? Is he _trying _to give Matthew, my little brother, a horrible life?_

**A/N Thank you wonderful people for reading this, I really didn't think this would be a good idea, but my friend still convinced me to do this, and I appreciate everything you've done.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I usually like to post earlier, but I had friends who wouldn't let me go home. Sorry, but here's Chapter 4!**

Even though Arthur had gone to bed, Alfred stayed in the kitchen, pacing the small area between the table and the counter.

"Think Alfred," he told himself, looking to the table, pausing mid-stride. "You know two people who could be held responsible... Their alibis aren't at all that straight and you need to think this through very, very carefully."

_It could be the woman, _Alfred thought to himself, just in case his father was listening to him think aloud. _But it could also be Dad... But it's not for sure.. It might even be someone completely different too. We can't rule out anyone. It might have been a tourist, or something like that. If that's the case... We should see if we can get our hands on files of all the people visiting our area at the time..._

Alfred shook his head, massaging his temples. This was a lot more complicated than he ever thought possible. And he compared finding his brother to finding his keys? Yeah, like they were even closely related!

Sighing, Alfred turned a little, his eyes landing on that other paper his father had found. Now that he actually looked at it, instead of his father reading it, he realized it wasn't an article, but an actual hand written note... In the same kind of neat loops as the previous.

Alfred put the two side by side, reading through carefully. The more he read, the more he wished he didn't even start... But this was going to help him in the long run, he knew that for a fact. The only thing was, it wouldn't be easy to just... Get what he needed from this, and use that information to discover where his little brother was.

Another long exhale escaped Alfred's lips as he leaned back on a wall. His brother had been missing long enough, he knew... But what he didn't know, was what he was doing exactly... Nor did he really know where to look for anything at all... It didn't help that he could hardly remember his brother, something he learned was thanks to the father who was asleep in the other room. If Alfred knew what Matthew liked to do, it would probably be easier for him to find him. What did he do for fun? What did he do outside of school, aside from hockey. Who were his friends? Where did he go when he wanted to be alone... _Who were his friends?_

Alfred wanted to burst into Arthur's room and ask that question. It was important now, more than ever, thanks to the fact that friends knew everything about their friends. That would help them more than the silly articles on the table would, he knew. But how was he supposed to know where they were now? He might know names, but he will probably never know where the stupid kids lived now.

With newly acquired energy, Alfred dug through the stack of papers again, looking for something he might have missed earlier, as he had the second note. After finding nothing, Alfred started through with the box again. Nothing was going to slow him down right now!

He noticed something weird about the shoebox. It was blue inside and out... Weren't the inside of these thing supposed to be just plan white or brown... Something like that? That's what Alfred always thought... He didn't really know if that's how things were everywhere.. He just sorta assumed that it was the same in every country. He's always been ignorant, and he wouldn't be surprised if it really was different everywhere else he wasn't from. It was just a fact that he actually knew about himself... Something he wish he knew about Matthew.

Alfred shook his head again. _No! Focus on finding him. _Then _you can worry about everything you don't know about him._

Though his drive was strong, not even Alfred could stay up all night by himself. Down for the count, head on the table, his hands on his lap, Alfred slept freely, surprisingly not in an awkward position.

Arthur walked out of his room feeling refreshed, and ready for a shower, all his worries gone. That's when he saw Alfred at the table. He reckoned his son had fallen asleep at the table while working, not too far off from when Arthur himself woke up from his night of sleeping. That boy really was trying all he could to find his brother, even though he was most likely dead at this point. However, Alfred kept strong, believing with all his heart that Matthew was still alive, and that he would find him, and save him from whatever place he was in. Alfred had been saying whatever Matthew was going through, would give Hell itself a run for its money, but Arthur didn't believe a lick of it.

Arthur brewed himself some tea, carefully setting the kettle down where it could cool as he walked over to his son, who was still sleeping over the table. The bushy eyebrows on Arthur's face let up on his face as his expression changed from once of relaxation to almost a gentle smile. It was just like how it was when Alfred was younger, and those memories were so precious to the man. Looking down on his boy, the one who could now drink – _Oh Lord help everyone_ – and he thought to himself, how very young he still looked, other than his age of twenty-one.

Any other time, Arthur would have scolded his son for falling asleep in such an open place, but given the circumstances, he let this pass for the time being, but next time, he might have some sort of punishment in store. Something that he would dictate later on.

Arthur placed his cup of tea down and left for a moment, returning with a blanket that he gently wrapped around his son's shoulders, then continuing to grab his tea once more, and move to the living room of his flat, pulling out a book he was reading, and just relaxing in that respect.

Not five minutes after he pulled out his bookmark and gotten into the chapter he was on, did Arthur's cell phone ring. He checked the contact name before flipping it open, and answering the call. It was his husband, Francis.

"Hello?"

"Zank God you answered!" Francis tried to shout into the phone, but his breathing was labored and it sounded like he was running.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked the man on the other end.

"Somezing 'appened here, and I need you to come. I zink I found somezing to help us find Mathieu."

Arthur actually did drop the phone, taking a moment to get it from between the side table and the rocker he was sitting on. "What? How? You're where? In America?"

Francis shook his head, realizing oh, Arthur wasn't there next to him, he couldn't see that. "Non, I'm in Canada, right above America, but I swear I've found somezing to help you have to come. Now."

"Alright, alright. I'll go pack, and Alfred and I will be there A-SAP."

"I 'ave to go now, I shall see you soon. Love you."

"Love you too... Bye."

Wasting no time, Arthur went to his room, and started packing a bag. How long would they be there? Where would they stay? What would they do? Hell, Arthur didn't know, but he just _had _to go there. He had to find his son.

_What if Francis was the one who did it, and is trying to lead you astray? _Arthur couldn't help but ask himself. _He doesn't seem like he was guilty, but there's always that possibility... No! Arthur stop this nonsense! Your husband loved that boy to death. He wouldn't take him away where he couldn't see him for years! Look who's being the foul git now. That's right, Arthur, you are._

He roughly cast his trousers into the suitcase, his own thoughts trying to trick him into believing Francis was behind it all. But that was not the case. It couldn't be! That was an irrational thought, and there was just no way Francis would do such a terrible thing.

Sighing, Arthur zipped up his bag, and dragged the thing to the front door. He smiled, seeing he still had tea left in his cup, but was disappointed when he realized it was cold. Reheated tea just didn't taste the same to him, so he dumped it out, and turned around to wake Alfred, who was snoring like a rhinoceros with a cold.

"Alfred, it's time to get going. Go fetch your things."

Alfred groaned, opening one of his bloodshot eyes.

"Dad... Do you think we'll ever find him?"

"Of course we will," Arthur responded right away.

"Do you know that for a fact?" Alfred pressed.

"Yes. Matthew is my son, and I know he's still alive. You, your father, and myself included, are looking for him. I guarantee we will find him. Now, go pack up that barge you call a suitcase, and get back out here. We need to leave as soon as we're ready."

Alfred nodded, not understanding that right away, but knowing to just go with it for the time being. In the meantime, Arthur would be packing up all the papers they had, for he knew that those were the things that they would need more than their clothes... Though he wanted his clothes, for he did not like the stench that he wears days previous to the current.

Quickly, as if walking on hot coals the entire time, Alfred brings forth his large suitcase, and his carry on bag that he had with him from his first flight, and now, he was ready to go once more, still having some clean clothes to use, and some more yet, to clean. However, Alfred figured he really wouldn't need to clean anything if he was smart, and just wore his clothes to bed... If he ever decided he could sleep.

"Dad, are we ready? We have to go soon, right? Can we go now?"

"Calm down Alfred. We will be leaving soon enough. Just be patient."

"Where are we headin' anyway?"

"Canada."

"Which part?"

"You'll see... You'll see, but you might not like it."

Alfred sighed. He should have known. The country right about his was a lot colder than his home in his mind. He had been there once before, and was dead set on never going back.. But here he was, packed up, and about to leave for the one place he absolutely didn't want to go... He supposed it was better than Russia... He never really did like that place, despite having never been there.

"I hope it's worth the trip," Alfred sighed, looking out the window, to the street below... Boy was it crowded down there... "You still using that lack of supply excuse to get out of opening?"

"I'm afraid there's no other thing to use," Arthur admitted sadly. "I'll open once we get back, even if we haven't found Matthew by then. It'll help distract me from that, which I think I'll need in order to stay sane in the duration of this entire conspiracy."

Alfred could only nod at his father, He didn't really understand what he was saying,but it somehow made sense to him. He knew that finding his brother was going to be a long and probably painful process, but he knew that in the end, everything would turn out just fine.

With a deep breath, Arthur lead the way out of the flat, locking up the doors of the bar before the two were off to Canada.


	5. Chapter 5

Unlike popular belief, Alfred was not a good flier. He gets nauseous, he clings to the armrests when they hit turbulence... Arthur wondered how the boy had survived this long without dying of a heart attack on one of these because from what he knows, Alfred flies all the time... One would think he was used to it by now, but that was not the case here.

Arthur suppressed the urge to chuckle at the poor sight of his boy, who used to dream of flying, but now... It was just a little.. comical to the Englishman. Throughout the flight, though Arthur had gotten a bit of cola, Alfred only got water so he could swallow down some pills. Arthur didn't question it, though he felt a bit of concern for what those were for.

Everything was going good after the plane had landed. It arrived early, and the baggage claim didn't clog up, even with Alfred's large case, which was a pleasant surprise for Arthur. They quickly got out of the airport, realizing that they had not planned for anyone to pick them up, but if Francis had come to get them, and they got into a cab, going to they don't even know where... Things could turn out badly.

Alfred whipped out his phone, and called up his father... The one that was not right next to him.

It would be better to find out what was going on firsthand by the one who called them there in the first place than anyone else, so that was exactly what he did.

Arthur waited patiently as his son spoke with his husband on the phone. He tapped his foot impatiently, just wanting to get out of the airport area, and get to the point of this sudden travel. However, waiting was just something that he would have to do in order to stay sane. He had to wait to find his son. He had to wait to get more clues. He had to wait to see this thirteen year long search come to an end. He had to wait, and doing so would require all the patience he had in his entire being. In the midst of his thoughts, Alfred felt someone tap his shoulder. He soon saw a cell phone being shoved into the side of his head before hearing the soothing sound of his husband's voice.

Shortly after handing the phone to his father, Alfred started to feel dread swell up inside of him. So Francis found something that could help them.. But what if it didn't? What if none of this would help them? Then what? They then would have wasted all this time looking at evidence that wasn't even relevant to what they were doing, and that would be really dumb of them.

"Alfred, we should go back inside for now. Francis will be here soon to pick us up," Arthur spoke, forcing a smile to his face, seeing how deep in thought his son was. It was strange to the older man, seeing his son actually thinking about something for more than just five seconds, but at the same time it made him so happy to see how much Alfred cared about someone... Someone who he could barely remember.

Alfred nodded, and followed his father to the front doors of the airport. This would be good for them, he knew, but couldn't help but start thinking about what everyone else was thinking: Blaming one of the two fathers, but the woman was one they should find to question... But they really didn't have anything to go by to find her...

"It's too cold here," Alfred complained some as Francis drove them away. The Frenchman looked a little disheveled, but other than the messed up hair, and the fact that his eyes were red with either lack of sleep, or crying, he was fine.

"Yes... It is a bit chilly here, but zere is going to be differences everywhere you go, Alfred," Francis explained to his son in the backseat. "It can't be ze same as where you live."

"I know, but it still bothers me. I'd even prefer your stupid rain over this. It might as well be snowing."

"Quite griping, Alfred," Arthur chided. "Just focus on why we're here, alright?"

The younger in the back could only nod. There was no point in saying anything else against what his fathers were saying anyway. They should be better off just getting along so they can find Matthew.

Alfred looked to the bag sitting next to him in the middle seat. Temptation proved to be too great, and he dug inside, looking at a picture and description of Matthew. He turned to look out the window, his expression bored. There was nothing that really caught his eye. Just people apologizing to each other, or holding building doors open for each other... Typical, stereotypical Canadians. So in other words, nothing special to him.. Something he wasn't really used to seeing this in the place he lived too.

"Stop the car!" Alfred shouted suddenly.

Off of just hearing those words, Francis slammed his foot on the brake, swerving just a bit.

"What is the meaning of this, Alfred?" Arthur demanded of his son, turning around with wild eyes.

"Unlock the doors."

"Alfred-"

"_Unlock the doors._"

Francis obeyed, watching his son closely as he got out of the car, and bolted down the street. What did he see?

"Bloody hell," Arthur said, going after his son, who had gotten too big of a head start to catch up to.

Francis put the car in park, and shut it off. He sat back, trying to figure out what happened. What did Alfred see? Or maybe a more accurate question, would be to ask _Who? _Alfred wouldn't have made him stop if it wasn't important, but there was just something that made Francis feel a little strange.

Francis got out of the car, and turned around to see if he could spot his husband or his son running away... He couldn't find anyone who could be either of them. He hated how useless he felt at that moment... But being that he didn't really comprehend what was going on until both of his boys were gone.

After having glanced at the files and description of his brother again, Alfred took a glance out the window, and saw someone who not only looked familiar, but looked like he could fit something. He yelled for his father to stop the car, and he immediately got out, and started looking for the said man. He was getting himself horribly lost, but that person... That blond running down the street, a scared expression on his face... he looked like he could really help them. The only problem for Alfred now was: Where did he go?

"I can't believe he just up and left!" Arthur complained, making his way back to the car as he lost trace of his son. "That was the most irrational decision he has ever made, and he will regret it later."

"Where do you zink he went?"

"Probably to get himself killed," Arthur continued his train of thought, ignoring Francis, who looked around. "So why did you call us here anyway?"

"I found someone who looks like Matthieu."

**A/N I'm so sorry for not posting sooner... I feel like my brain is so much more dead on the weekends and I apologize if the ones posted on Saturdays and Sundays are not as well written as the others. Please enjoy.**


	6. Chapter 6

Arthur gaped at his husband. Had he just heard him right? Someone who looks like their son? It had to be him then! His eye color was extremely rare, and who else had a curl that stuck up just as badly as Alfred's cowlick? The only one the Englishman could think of, was.. well... No one. But how could this be? Had Matthew been out long then? How come he had never looked for his family before this? Why would Matthew want to stay away?

_You weren't the best father to him... You would scold him for things his older brother did, or you forgot about him, you never really praised him... Arthur, the list is just so big... Why are you surprised he doesn't want to see you again?_

Arthur felt his mouth go dry. Francis had seen someone in this area who looked like their son, and he didn't go after him? Wouldn't Francis get him, and _then _call him and Alfred? Whatever the reason was he didn't do that, Arthur decided that it didn't matter now. All that matter now, was that they find Matthew, and if he really was there, that would make things so much easier, and maybe... They would take this out again, and then they could stop this person who took little Matthew, from taking any other children, or save any others he might have with him.

"Do you think that's why Alfred told you to stop... And why he is gone right now?"

Francis shrugged his shoulders. "It would make ze most sense, but zere is not way to be sure about zat."

Arthur nodded, his hand going to his chin. There had to be something that would initiate this sort of behavior in his son, but he just didn't know what yet. There was no way of telling what it really could be, so until finding out for sure, Arthur would just assume it was because he thought he saw Matthew, and that's why he ran.

"Switch with me," Arthur said, it sounding like a suggestion, when really, it wasn't. "I'll drive around, and see if I can't find Alfred... In the meantime, you are going to get your arse in the back, and sleep."

Francis looked at the back seat with high amount of temptation begging him to just go. But he didn't really want to. Francis wanted to look for his son too... Well... He wanted to look for both of them, but he was also dead on his feet, and felt like sleeping would help him immensely, but he didn't know which urge was stronger...

Arthur put a hand on his husband's shoulder. "We'll find Matthew... You just go rest yourself up so you're wide awake when we find him. I'm sure Alfred knows what he's doing... We'll find that idiot too." The green eyed man plastered a soft smile on his face that actually looked genuine.

Francis also smiled, and leaned over, kissing the man deeply. He decided to leave the search-and-rescue mission to Arthur, and with the thoughts of just leaving his worries for just a few hours couldn't hurt, and he might wake up to such a very pleasant surprise too! A man can dream.

With Francis calmly sleeping in the backseat, Arthur drove off, looking around for anyone who could be either Alfred or Matthew... As of that moment, despite not having a lot of people living in Canada, finding either one of them would be a miracle.

There were simply just too many people who looked like Alfred there. Twice, had Arthur stopped, thinking he saw his older son, but it turned out to be a stranger. After that, he assumed that Alfred would come to him if he saw the vehicle... But he was still looking out for the dolt.

Alfred couldn't find that kid again. It kinda made him upset because that one guy... He was the only one who could possibly count as his brother, and he looked so scared... Alfred knew he just had to find him again... The only problem was... He didn't know this place like the back of his hand. It would be difficult to navigate around without at least a map, or a little understanding of how this place's roads and stuff worked. Until then, he would just wander, trying to find that same person again... Alfred couldn't believe that the kid was able to outrun him... He was the fastest person he knew, but now it seemed someone else was taking that position.

Red faced and labored breathing, Alfred started just walking around, looking for that same person he had tried to pursue. Without any luck, Alfred felt like punching something. They were so close, but at the same time, they were just so far away from the truth, and his brother. What if Matthew didn't want to see them again?

_Think about it, Alfred... You weren't really the best family for him anyway, right? If he doesn't want to come back to you... Why would you be surprised? He probably loves the life he has right now, and doesn't want to go back._

With another look around, Alfred realized that it had in fact, started snowing.

_Lovely... I bet he loves the snow as much as I hate it._

Alfred turned around, and just took in the street. There were a lot of people just walking around... There were hardly any cars on the roads, but the weirdest part was, there were several people with similar looking outfits. This wasn't it just happens to be the fashion at that moment like Ugg boots in the winter, but this was same sweatshirts that looked homemade, or something of that sort. It looked like the sweatshirt the guy Alfred was following was wearing. Maybe they knew Matthew... Instead of asking, Alfred decided to just follow one of them. They were probably all going to the same place anyway... It would be something knew and it would be the smartest thing to do as of that moment, Alfred thought.

After about an hour of driving around, Arthur gave up on trying to find his boys. The car was almost out of gas, and if he hadn't seen one of them by now, it would be another hour or two before he even caught wind of Alfred's antics.

Without knowing where to really go, Arthur stopped at a gas station to fill up the tank, but also still looking for what was missing from him. However, nothing caught his eye. Just the citizens of the area, minding their own business.

Arthur sighed, wiping his face with his hands. Boy was it cold out... Alfred was right.. It was too freaking cold up here... It didn't help that they were closer to the Arctic Circle than the equator, which really stunk... But it was something that would have to be put up with.

Alfred didn't know what to do now.. Those kids were good at getting others lost, and Alfred was in the middle of nowhere, still looking for one of them, but finding no one else around him.

"MAAATTTIIIEEE!" he shouted more so out of frustration than anything else. What he wasn't expecting, was a response.

"What are you doing here?"

Alfred whipped his head around, and saw standing before him, a lanky boy with soft, wavy blond hair, violet-blue eyes behind oval shaped glasses, and a sweatshirt with the country's flag splashed on there. His skin was pale, and he was definitely older, but there was no one else this could be. This was Matthew Bonnefoy-Kirkland... Alfred's little brother, was standing there, right in front of him.

"Matthew," Alfred breathed, unable to utter anything else.


	7. Chapter 7

There was nothing that could have prepared Alfred for what he was seeing. His little brother, shorter than him, thinner than him, not looking so well kept. Aside from that, he looked terrified to be seeing him. What was going through his mind? Alfred's mind was racing with all these thoughts and things that he wanted to ask his brother, all these things he wanted to talk about, but now that he had the chance, his voice wouldn't work.

"What are you doing here?" Matthew questioned once more, looking around with his wide violet-blue eyes.

"Mattie... I... You..."

Matthew cocked his head, his weak blond curls hugging one side of his face, the rest brushing his shoulder. "What?" he asked, more confused now. He didn't really know what was going on, and he wasn't exactly too keen on figuring it out either. There was a vague memory floating around in his mind... Something that hadn't left him for so long.

"I can't believe it... You're right here, in front of me... Mattie..." Alfred could barely form these sentences. Tears of pure joy stung his eyes, and if there was anything Alfred was not, was a crier... But this was something that changed that completely. He was so happy, so excited, so relieved. Really, they had only been looking for a couple days, and they've found him already. "We've found you."

"Found me? How do you mean? I've been here all the while."

Alfred's smile slipped into a soft frown. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what? Being cast aside?" Matthew knew full well who the man in front of him was. How could he forget? He saw his picture every day. He hated him, but at the same time, loved him to a fault.

"Mattie... No. We didn't cast you aside. We didn't mean to forget you. Please..."

"You beg now that it has been so long? Why weren't they smarter? You don't know what happened, you don't understand!" Matthew turned around, and was going to start running, but Alfred grabbed his wrist. The younger winced. "Al... Le-let go."

"Matthew, please just hear me out."

"Let go of me."

"Mattie... Please..."

"Al... You're hurting me... Please let go."

But Alfred did not remove his hand. His little brother was going to run, and he couldn't have that; not since he just found him. This was too important to just let go now. Matthew was here, right in front of him, and he couldn't be more satisfied with his detective worked. The thought of never seeing his little brother again crossed his mind too many times in just forty-eight hours.

_Alfred, he's in your grasp. What do you think he needs right now? You haven't seen him in thirteen years... Don't you think it's about time you said something to him instead of just what you've already gone through?_

Without another thought about it, Alfred's arms went around his little brother. Thirteen years it's been, since the last time Alfred had even touched Matthew. Matthew needed a hug, and that's what Alfred was giving him.

Alfred also felt Matthew's entire being tense, as if he was unused to something like human interaction, but Alfred refused to let up.

After about ten seconds, Matthew's body started shaking in his crying, but Alfred couldn't tell why.

_Think. Are you just being stupid? Well maybe asking the kid would do you some good, huh?_

"Mattie... Mattie, what's wrong?" Alfred asked, pulling away slightly so he could see his brother's face. Tears were rolling freely down Matthew's pale cheeks. He no longer looked so scared of Alfred, which brightened the older's day. However, the problem at hand was Matthew.

"Mattie..." Alfred's voice lost its way out in asking again.

"I'm sorry," Matthew gasped out between his sobs. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay... Matthew, look at me."

Matthew's head tilted up slightly, but his eyes did not meet Alfred's gaze.

"Mattie... C'mon... I can't talk serious to you until you look at me."

Hesitantly, Matthew's eyes found Alfred's. Now that Alfred's tears were gone, he could focus more on Matthew's. The boy looked so sad, but happy at the same time. Was that even possible?

"Matthew, you've been missing for thirteen years... What happened... What happened that day?"

"I..." Matthew started, fighting the urge to collapse into heavier tears. "He..."

_He? So it's not the woman._

"I... I don't really remember..."

_That's a lie. He knows what I'm talking about, and he knows what happened too. Alfred, you'll find out what happened in due time. Don't make him run away again. Just take it slowly. You've found him, right? Isn't that enough for you right now?_

Alfred smiled down to his brother. "You look exhausted. Why don't you get some sleep?"

But Matthew shook his head. "I... I need to g-go now."

Alfred's face fell. "What do you mean you have to go? Go where?"

"If I don't go back, they'll do something bad... Please just listen to me, and let me go back to them. I don't want them to hurt you..."

"Hurt me? Why... Matthew... They don't know just how tough I am. They're underestimating me. Just come with me, okay? Dad and Papa are getting worried about you... To be honest, we all thought you were dead. But this is just amazing that you're still here! We _have _to go."

"Al... Why don't you get it? I _can't go with you."_

"But why? You're not one to be in any trouble at all, but I fear you will be if you don't come with me. C'mon Mattie, you know that this is what you truly want."

_You're so mean, Alfred. You're acting like a child, and you are being such a jerk. Like hell you know what he wants!_

"I can't, Alfred. I really do want to, but I can't. They'll hurt you, and I don't want that to happen."

"Mattie, they _can't _hurt me."

"Yes they can! Alfred, they'll _kill _me... _In front of you. _They will _make _you watch."

Alfred felt his mouth go dry. "Who... Who's going to kill you?"

"I can't tell you. Don't you get it? I didn't come back for a reason! I didn't try to go back because I have _reasons."_

Alfred couldn't believe his ears. "You... You didn't want to come back? But... My God, Arthur... Dad, he made me forget... I remember... I remember that day now. You... I … We... We were... You..."

Matthew's resided tears began coming forward again. He shook his head, and put his hands over his ears, falling to his knees on the ground.

Alfred could only look on his brother. He must have heard something... His hearing was a lot more sensitive than anyone around the world, but this was something that looked like he had heard before, and now, it has traumatized him. Alfred could only stand there, watching as his brother fell apart in front of him. That scared little boy from that day... Was still just as scared now...

~Flashback~

_Alfred ran down the stairs. "Mattie, Mattie! Are you ready to go?!"_

_"__Al, I'm already at the door! Dad said that you are slow, and that I should wait for you!"_

_Alfred laughed loudly, putting an arm around his brother, leading him outside. Matthew seemed quite worried about something._

_"__Don't worry little man, we'll still get there on time."_

_"__That's not what's scaring me," the quiet voice on Matthew came out._

_"__Then what's wrong?" Alfred asked, stopping in the middle of the driveway, Arthur watching curiously from in side the car._

_"__I... I heard something last night... It was a voice..."_

_"__What did it say?"_

_"__You're mine..."_

~Present~

"Mattie, don't worry about anything, 'kay? We'll go back to Dad and Papa, and sort this out... Whoever it is who you think will get you; kill you, won't. Not as long as we've got you."

"Don't you get it Alfred?" Matthew asked in his usual soft voice. "I _can't _go with you because I belong to _him."_

Alfred tilted his head, confused. "Matthew, slavery is illegal. You aren't anyone's. Just... Come with me, and we'll talk this through."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't happen... I can't get away."

"I'll get you away."

Matthew didn't say anything, too occupied trying to stop his tears. He was shivering, he was tired... Matthew felt like going with Alfred would be the best option for him, but at the same time, he felt like that was the dumbest mistake he could ever make.

"You're tired to a point of delusion. You should sleep... We'll talk when you wake."

But once again, Matthew shook his head. "I can't... I have to... I have to go b-back."

"No," Alfred cooed, "you don't have to go anywhere, but here. You come home with me, and I'll make sure you're safe."

Unable to fight the sleepiness any further, Matthew slowly drifted off into a state not unlike unconsciousness.

Alfred soon was digging for his phone. He had to get his parents there... He felt vulnerable standing in the middle of the park... At least he thought it was a park.

Arthur tapped his foot on the sidewalk, taking a long drag of the cigarette that hung freely in his mouth. His arms were folded as he just thought.

The sudden loud ringing of his phone snapped him back to where he was. Arthur looked at the man in the backseat of the car, still asleep, as he picked up the call.

"Dad!" Alfred's window-breaking voice exclaimed through the speaker. "I've found Mattie! I've found him, you have to come here _right now. _I think he's still afraid of something. I think there's someone here waiting for the right moment to attack. Please hurry."

"I'm on my way."

Cigarette forgotten in the street, Arthur sped off in the car, realizing he had no idea where Alfred was. He picked up his phone, and saw his son had texted him. There were two pictures. One was of Matthew, asleep, and safe... The other one was of the area they were in. He had passed by that area so much, he knew where it was.

Arthur definitely crossed the speed limit, but that didn't matter. He had to find his sons, and by the looks of it, he didn't have a whole lot of time. He didn't know if Alfred noticed them in the background, but he certainly did.

Francis sat up in the backseat, rubbing his eyes.

"Where are we going?"

"Alfred found Matthew, but they might be in trouble."

"Hurry up! Faster! Faster!"

"I'm going!"

It seemed the faster they went, the slower they arrived. But that's it. They made it there, and they saw Alfred already approaching them, with Matthew in his arms, bridal style. Francis got out, getting in the front seat as Alfred put Matthew in the back, climbing in thereafter.

Francis looked at his younger son, tears pricking his eyes. He was really there... After thirteen years...

"He says he belongs to someone.. He hasn't mentioned a name... But he's scared of something... He's scared that he's going to hurt me, hurt us... He said this guy is going to kill him and make us watch..."

Arthur's face went stern. So that's how it was. It wasn't Francis... It wasn't the woman, but some man. But they couldn't really call this case closed... Until this man was found, and the only way to figure this out, Arthur feared, they would have to get this out of Matthew, something that he didn't want to do... However, the only way to get this done, the only way to finish this all, would be to talk to the boy, who was so scarred, so alone through all this time... It was something that would take more than just heavy enticing; this was going to take a lot of guts, and a lot of patience... Something, Arthur feared he did not have.

Francis couldn't take his eyes off of Matthew. The boy looked too skinny to be healthy, and he just looked so frail... Francis needed to know what happened in the past thirteen years, but he knew that this would be more difficult than it should be. But for now, they could rest at ease, knowing that Matthew was safe, and alive, and with them.

**A/N: I appreciate all the love coming in from liking this story. I was skeptical at first, so thank you everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8

Getting into Francis' hotel room was just a little difficult. The staff threw them questions left and right, wondering who the extra three people were, and why the one was out. Arthur got rid of them by throwing glares right back at their questions, demanding to know what business it was of theirs who they were, and that if they must know, it is family matters, and they have no rights to get involved.

Alfred was the one carrying Matthew once again... None of the three men wanted to wake him up if it could be avoided, so they let him rest, bringing him up to the room Francis was staying in, and laying him on the bed there, torn and dirty clothes, and all.

Arthur studied his younger son while Alfred and Francis talked about the conditions in which they met Matthew, once again. The first thing Arthur noticed aside from the large holes in the knees of the pants that were too long, was the fact that Matthew, was not wearing anything on his feet. Aside from that, the rest of his clothes, though also dotted with holes of varying sizes, were clean. His hands were spotless aside from the dirt under his fingernails, and his face was also free of any dirt or blemish. His hair was also light and silky, as if it had just dried from a wash... That was a mystery in and of itself.

Arthur realized it had gone quiet, so he turned around and saw Alfred and Francis giving him worried looks, silently asking if he was okay. Of course he was! He was happy, overjoyed! After thirteen long years, he thought he had been through everything, he thought he knew everything; every emotion, every solution, _everything. _But the truth was he didn't, and now that he was standing there, in the hotel room, miles upon miles away from his flat and bar, Arthur truly felt like he was a father again. Arthur felt that this little hotel room held many more memories than he thought he had, and that him being here brought forth the feeling. He didn't like going out much, and if this hadn't been for Matthew, he wouldn't have come... But the thing that ate at him the most... Was it was much too easy to find his younger son. Surely with how long it has been, it would have been next to impossible to find him, and yet, they set foot in Canada, and just a couple hours later, they're playing cat and mouse with Matthew.

_In other words, I'm fine. So just say it, Arthur._

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Arthur demanded. "Am I not allowed to look at my son, who, by the way, I haven't seen in a very long time?"

Francis smiled. "No, no, mon cher, you don't know how much it means to me that you would look at Mattheiu like that. After all, you made me believe you had never wanted him in the first place."

Alfred looked at his father with a not-so-friendly look. "So you didn't like Mattie, huh?" _That means he still could be held responsible for his disappearance. _"Why? I'm glad you took us both in because I wasn't about to just leave without Mattie, who wouldn't be alive without me."

"No, no," Arthur spoke defensively. "I loved both of you."

"But you loved me more, is that it?"

"No one here is innocent when picking favorites!" Arthur shouted. "Francis loved Matthew more than you!"

"How dare you accuse me of such a zing!" Francis gasped.

"Don't deny it, you bloody frog, you know you did. We all know it!"

"Guys, shut up, you'll wake Mattie," Alfred tried to tell the two other men, failing to calm either of them down.

"I love Alfred just as much as I love Matthieu, and you know zat's true!"

"No, it's not! Whenever I made dinner, you always went out and got something for Matthew, but not for Alfred!"

"Zat's because he never _wanted _anyzing when I asked!"

"Bullshit!"

"You don't know what you are talking about anymore... Arzur..."

"Don't you 'Arthur' me. We wouldn't even be talking about this if you hadn't brought it up!"

"Zere you go, pinning the blame on me again. You are so childish, I wonder how zis has worked so far with just you being ze way you are!"

"Dudes, chill out. I'm serious, you will wake Mattie if you keep up this useless arguing."

Francis, always one to hear first, quickly turned his head to his younger son, seeing he had turned, and covered his ears. His anger vanished and was swiftly replaced with guilt. His son wasn't asleep anymore.. Alfred might have thought, but he wasn't. He was covering his ears, trying to block out the sound of the fighting, and even if that could pass as a sleeping thing, Crying is not something many people do whilst they sleep... Crying and shaking their head, no matter how slowly.

"Mon dieu..." Francis whispered, going to the bed, sitting on the edge, his hand cupping Matthew's cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "Sh... It's okay... We're not fighting. It was just a little tiff we were having... It wasn't anyzing major."

Matthew's eyes opened, and he looked at Francis warily, his eyes looked sunken into his skull, dark circles under them as well, showing off his lack of sleep. Tears were still pooled in his eyes, but Matthew seemed to be nearing the end of his supply. "I'm sorry," he whispered, barely audible for the man next to him to hear, let alone the other two in the room.

"Hey, Mattie, how about you take a shower?" Alfred suggested. "You'll be clean, and we'll get you some clean clothes too!"

Matthew's violet-blue eyes glanced around the room, realizing that he hadn't gone back to his master. His eyes widened. "I have to go back," he said.

"Huh?" Alfred asked dumbly.

"I have to go b-back," Matthew repeated, a little less confident this time.

"I think instead of that, you should really go shower. We'll talk about it when you're done."

Reluctantly, Matthew nodded, and allowed Alfred to bring him to the bathroom, and showed him how to work the stupid shower head.

When Alfred returned to his parents, Arthur started questioning him.

"What was that about?"

"Remember when I was talking about what he was saying when I found him, and actually conversed with him?"

"No. I don't think you ever mentioned it..."

"Well whatever. He was saying how he belonged to someone, and that he had to go back to him, if he was going to protect me. He said that if he didn't go back, they'd hurt me, and the pain won't be physical to me. He said that they'd make me watch them kill him."

"Does zis mean it wasn't just one person taking him?"

Arthur thought about this... There was a he, and a they... But who... Or what did they refer to? "The only way to know for sure is to ask Matthew," he decided, as much as he didn't like it. Arthur also knew that the other two wouldn't like it any better, and Matthew wouldn't like that... At all.

"So soon...?" Francis asked, looking to the bathroom door cautiously, for whatever reason, Arthur wasn't sure.

"It's the only way to solve this quickly, and so they don't get Matthew again... Or any other child," Arthur stated, his voice wavering just a tad... He hoped not enough for the others to notice though, which they didn't. "I don't like this any more than you do... But it still must be done."

They heard something fall from inside the bathroom. Francis went to the door of said bathroom. "Matthieu... Are you alright...?" There was a long pause, and still, nothing. Francis knocked, and asked again, "Is everyzing okay...?"

The water turned off, and Matthew's voice came through the door, "I-I'm sorry... I'm o-okay..."

Francis relaxed, his hand removing itself from the handle of the door. "Be careful, okay? Are you nervous, mon petite?"

Matthew shook his head saying, "Non!"

Francis chuckled, going back to the other two, smiling. That little smile, despite how dire the situation was, that one smile dulled down the anxiousness of the room. " 'e is fine," Francis informed his husband and older son. "Only slipped."

Alfred laughed. "That's only something _I _would do!"

Arthur lightly smacked the back of Alfred's head. "Matthew has always been clumsy. I'm pretty sure he is completely capable of falling himself, just as much as you are."

Alfred guffawed even louder now. "I've nearly remembered everything... There are still a few things that are foggy though! Don't make me feel bad about it."

The bathroom door opened, and Matthew poked his head out. "There aren't any towels in here... C-could you get me one...?"

Alfred laughed. "Geez.. This place doesn't know how to keep their stuff stocked, huh? I got you bro, don't worry about it."

A faint blush came across Matthew's face as his head retreated back into the room, that made Francis smile out, glowing with the cuteness he thought his son still possessed.

"He's nearly twenty, he is _not _fair game," Arthur reminded the Frenchman.

"I know... But he is still too adorable for his own good."

That sentence struck Arthur. _Too cute for his own good... Think... You've heard something about the same matter before... What was it..? When was it? _Arthur was going to go mad thinking about this, but he had to remember. Matthew _was _too adorable for the age he is... But he just couldn't think about it.

"I'm back with your towel lil' bro!" Alfred called out loudly, going to the bathroom where his brother was still hidden. "Whoa, dude! You're really skinny! You need to eat more meat!"

There was a quiet response from Matthew that Arthur and Francis couldn't hear, but they were sure it was something along the lines of "Shut up" or "Be quiet.."

Alfred soon was also passing clothes to his brother, who was now clean; free of all dirt.

Matthew stepped out of the bathroom just five minutes after he was given the clothes, and it was no question that he was smaller than Alfred. The shirt was too long, too large for him, and the pants were rolled up at least three times before they were level with his ankles.

"Holy hell, you really need food. I thought we were _about _the same size, but no. Nope... Dang.. You need to start working out again."

Arthur had to agree with Alfred with that, but that didn't mean anything. "Alfred, watch your language please."

"Holy... He said please.. Arthur said please! And... And... Oh my... Arthur, he's friggin' nineteen. He's heard worse words than hell."

"I don't care. You will n-"

"How about some food, yes?" Francis suggested before the two could start an argument.

Alfred looked to Matthew, and smiled. "I think food sounds good, right, Mattie?"

The younger nodded, looking like he really was in tune with the idea of eating something. He really looked like he could use something to eat as well. Food was just the best option. All four of them were pretty hungry, so going out seemed to be the best option. However...

"No! I can't go out there!" Mathew screamed. "They'll find me, they'll hurt you."

Alfred looked to the older adults. "How about you guys go get some food, and I'll stay here with Mattie?" he suggested.

Arthur nodded, seeing how distressed his younger son looked. "That sounds like a plan. We'll be back soon... And Alfred? Don't let him do anything stupid, okay? Have him sleep if he will."

Alfred nodded, and the Arthur and Francis left, Francis giving one last look at his sons. He was so proud of them... But he also didn't really want to leave them there alone... But he had to.

Francis smiled as he closed the door. He knew Alfred would take good care of his brother.

_He was saying how he needed to go back, but now he's afraid to leave? _Those were the thoughts that entered Arthur's mind as Francis started the vehicle, and drove away from the hotel.


	9. Chapter 9

Dinner was unusually quiet as the four ate their meal. Matthew had always been that way, so nothing wrong about that... But Alfred and Arthur seemed to be in a bad mood especially. Francis' eyes flashed between the two, blue eyes, to green, and then looking to the slim figure plopped in front of him. Boy was this going to be a lovely night with those two sending glares at each other every moment they got.

Though the time went by slowly, with such little noise to occupy the empty spaces of air, Matthew was soon found drifting off to sleep in his chair from dinner.. That is, until Francis moved him to the bed where he decided Alfred and Matthew should sleep, while he and Arthur took the bed that formed from the couch... Even though Arthur wasn't too keen on that idea.

When Francis knew for sure that Matthew was asleep, he turned on the other two in the room. "Why are you two acting like children? Shouldn't we be over joyed that Mattieu is back right now, and nozing else has gone wrong yet?"

"I dunno," Alfred said, casting yet another glare to his green eyed father, "it depends if he's willing to call a truce with me or not. Right now, he's just being a baby, and I don't appreciate it very much."

"I'm being a baby? Do you want to know what you are, you bloody git? You're nothing more than a brat with a license to drink. Other than that little card, you're no different from the - "

"Enough, Arzer. You two were acting so good to each other until now.. Even from the start of zis entire zing, you two never fought from what I saw... So why now?"

Arthur turned his head away. "I've been trying to remember something, but I don't know what it is yet, and everything is just sorta making me irritable... I'm going to go smoke a fag... See if that clears up." After seeing Alfred's horrified face, Arthur reworded his sentence, pulling out a pack of cancer sticks. "I'm going to smoke a cigarette. Calm your tits."

"Calm my tits?" Alfred asked when Arthur had gone. "_Mine?_ I think not. More like he needs an attitude change..."

"Alfred, what is zis really about?"

"I think Dad might be one of the reasons Matthew disappeared that day."

Francis didn't think he heard right... Arthur was the reason their son disappeared? But how? Why? Arthur was with the entire time, he hardly ever noticed the boy, so why would he want him gone? His mind went to all these questions that arose due to Alfred's claim.

"Please tell me zis is some kind of sick joke."

"It's not. I swear that this is what I've been led to think... I was suspecting it back at your apartment, but I dismissed it. Now that I hear Arthur didn't really like Mattie all that much... He probably contacted the mafia or something, and had them take care of them, but then the boss of said group thought he was cute, and took him in and did perverted things to him, like what you do to-"

"Zat is enough, Alfred... I know zat Arzer never was too fond of Mattieu, but zere is no excuse for getting someone to take him out. And I do not zink your fazer could have connected wiz ze mafia. Zat is ridiculous."

"Believe what you will Pops, but this is what I've been led to with the information I have gotten and stuff. Besides, look at these notes we found. Dad said he didn't recognize them, but even he can change his handwriting, and making them like calligraphy, I don't think would be too hard for him."

"You are being silly! As if Arzer would do somezing so selfish!"

"Look who's overreacting now. We should just ask Mattie when he wakes up. He told me he didn't remember when I asked him in that park, but I know he was lying to me. That's just the type of person he is. It's going to take a lot to get what we need out of him... He's too nice for his own well being."

That, was something Francis could agree with. Since Matthew was young, (heck, what did they know past six?) whenever someone noticed Matthew, it was always for help with something. And Matthew always agreed to help... Could it possibly be that someone at the rink that day asked for help with something to lure Matthew away from the people in the building at the time? So how come none of his gear for hockey was uncovered in that mess? Was all that taken with the one who took him? All these questions, without any answer. It was more frustrating than trying to get the thread through the eye of a needle!

"Dad will be back soon... I'm going to bed before I have to smell that shit he's been smoking," Alfred decided, more so avoiding another argument than the scent his father would bring with him of the hellish cigarette smoke.

Francis nodded as Alfred quickly went to the bathroom, changed, and returned, leaving his clothes on the floor, then climbing into bed with his brother. Protectively, Alfred put an arm over his little brother, who instinctively turned toward his brother, accepting the feeling of safety. All the while, Francis fought the urge to snap a quick picture of the rejoined brothers.

And just as Alfred had said, Arthur soon returned to the room, the smell of smoke wafting in the open door, coming off the man.

"Zose zings will be the end of you," Francis made sure to tell him.

But Arthur really couldn't care less right now. He couldn't stop thinking about everything he knew about this case. Someone had Matthew under control to some extent, but he didn't know who... The only thing he knew was that this person was a he, and that's it. That's what really bugged him. Matthew wasn't giving anything else to them accidentally, but he didn't want to interrogate the poor boy after what he can only imagine he had been through.

"It's late... And Matthew's an early riser. We should get some sleep so we can stop him should he try to run. He's scared and indecisive right now, but I have a feeling that it's either a ploy, or he's considered what he's going to do, and that would be leaving first chance he gets... And that would be in the morning, while everyone else is still asleep."

Francis nodded, yawning, going to his bag so he could change into his nightclothes. Arthur had gone to change in the bathroom, much to Francis' dismay, returning only to lay on the lumpy mattress found inside the couch.

Francis followed at his heels, sighing to himself, and thinking to himself: _Alfred probably has good reasons for suspecting him... But I just cannot see him able to do anyzing to our son..._

Just as Arthur had predicted, Matthew was awake long before anyone else. His stomach rumbled, and he sat there, contemplating whether or not it was worth it to get up to wake someone to ask for food. He was hungry, yes, but he was in that perfect comfortably warm stage, and it was something he was unused to... He wanted that to last as long as possible, so he decided to wait it out.

Alfred hadn't moved much since the night, which surprised Matthew. All he could remember about sleeping with his brother, was that he moved _all the time, _but this one night, was the only exception so far.

Matthew tried to go back to sleep, hoping to hold off anything that his family might want to know from him, but every time he closed his eyes, it wasn't just darkness that flooded his vision. It was that man who loomed over everyone, the one who gave out punishments. It was the blond hair and the blue eyes he was met with when he was being taken away... It scared him right back to where he was... Alone in the room, even with his family there with him, Matthew felt alone... But safe.

Arthur had woken in the wee hours of the morning, wondering if he had been correct. He sat up, and saw that Matthew's eyes were squeezed shut, but then sprung open... that process would repeat itself over and over again, until someone did something... But Arthur didn't know how to approach this without scaring Matthew, or without leading Matthew to think he was going to be hurt by Arthur.

"Matthew?" Arthur asking in the darkness. "Is everything well?"

Matthew also sat up, his eyes blindly searching for his father in the dark and without glasses.

"Dad?" Matthew asked quietly as to not wake the log next to him.

"You alright lad?" Arthur then asked, hearing his son reply to him. He figured what the answer would be, but he didn't say anything else. He just patiently waited for an answer. He refused to be rude, he refused to scare the boy any more than he already is.

_He's nineteen, Arthur. Alfred told you this last night. He doesn't need to be babied. He probably doesn't want to be treated like a child either._

"I... C-can we talk about something...?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"W-well... Y-you see... When I was gone... Uh... Could we talk about this... s-somewhere else...?"

Arthur could feel how uncomfortable Matthew was, and decided, it was for the best, that they left Francis and Alfred to their dreams.

"Let me change.. Do you know where we can go...?"

Matthew nodded. From what Arthur could tell with the darkness of the room, Matthew was nervous, oh, so very nervous. "There's... There's a c-cafe nearby.. Could we... Could we go there...?"

Arthur's face softened, and though Matthew could not tell, the tension in the room lessened.

Now calmly sitting in the cafe, Arthur sipped his tea with care. It was hot, but there was nothing stopping Arthur from drinking his beloved drink. It was the perfect morning drink.

"Now, Matthew... You wanted to tell me something?"

Matthew visibly jumped, a little bit of his hot chocolate spilling over the side, and splashing on Matthew's pale hand. It immediately reddened, and burned. He nodded, wiping the drink off his hand with a napkin.

"The day... Th-thirteen years ago..."

Arthur leaned in closer to hear his son better.

"I remember... There were... there was... s-someone"

Arthur didn't interrupt. He waited patiently for Matthew to finish what he was saying.

"B-blue eyes... They were really bright... An-and..." Matthew's voice trailed off as his eyes focused on the swirling liquid in his mug.

Arthur could only nod. He knew that Matthew wouldn't be continuing anytime soon. Blue eyes... That was it. How was he supposed to build anything off of that... Wait.

_Think about the eyes you see every single night before you sleep. Bright blue. What color did he say? Bright blue. So, who do you think it was? Maybe you should have a little talk with Francis when you get home..._

Matthew shivered. He felt uneasy, but he didn't know why. There was only the lady behind the counter and then his father with him in the cafe, so why did he feel this absolute dread fill his entire being? He kept looking around with his wide amethyst eyes, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, only for him to push them back up to where they belong.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," Arthur assured the boy. "We have a long while... I left a note for Francis and Alfred... It'll be okay. Just... Take your time."

Matthew nodded, though he still felt a little bad for being unable to... He felt so weak... But he couldn't bring himself to say anymore.

Arthur looked around the place himself. It was very empty, which made him worry about the reason behind Matthew's anxiousness. His bushy eyebrows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't get the words out. Whatever it was, Matthew would tell him if it was really important.

His green eyes took in the poor posture of the boy in front of him. Nothing really was more important at the moment, but there was still this feeling of anticipation, like something was supposed to happen right there, like this should all be over now, and yet, was not. And this is why Arthur was beginning to worry more and more. Was it Francis? He was really starting to think so... But it could be someone else...  
"Do you remember a hair color?" Arthur asked against what he was just telling Matthew earlier.

Matthew nodded. "B-blond... Blue eyes..."

That confirmed it. _I can't believe Francis would do that! I knew that frog was a right foul git... Why do I always find the bad ones? Lord, help us with this._

**A/N I was very tempted to do something completely off the storyline just for April Fool's Day, but I decided against it. :D **


	10. Chapter 10

Francis stood in the room, looking at two empty beds, while Alfred was pacing in his American flag boxers. Upon waking that morning, Francis was greeted with the coolness of an empty space next to him in the bed. He knew Arthur was an early riser, but this was ridiculous! When he realized that Arthur was no longer in the room, and not in the bathroom as he had first thought, Francis got out of bed, the morning light revealing that Alfred was also alone in the large bed he and Matthew had been sharing just last night.

Panicking, Francis woke Alfred, hoping he knew something of what happened, but he really didn't. And now, they were in the room, Francis standing there, trying to figure out what happened, while Alfred paced.

_Arzer always leaves a note... But where on earz did he hide it?!_

Francis looked around some more, thinking about where his husband could have possibly put the note! He checked on the table, the nightstand, behind the desk, in the drawers, even under the clock! But he found nothing.

"Uh... Papa... What are you doing?"

"Looking for a note. Your fazer usually leaves a note... Help me find it."

Alfred nodded, and went on to help Francis find the stupid note.

"Did you check his pillow? He always left me notes on my pillow if he needed to talk to me or somethin' like that."

Francis stopped dead in his tracks. Had he checked there? He didn't think so. Following his son's advice, Francis looked to Arthur's pillow, and found the chicken scratch there.

_Matthew woke feeling ill... I took him for a walk so he could get some fresh air. Don't know when we will be back... Don't let Alfred make a mess of a room. ~Arthur_

Francis felt relief fill his body. Oh, did it bring great comfort to Francis that his other two boys were safe.. His husband, and his younger son were safe, and that's all that mattered.

Francis then slapped his own face. "Mon dieu! Why did I not just ring for him?" he chided himself. "Sometimes, I really zink I must be going crazy some of these days."

"It's because you work too much, and worry about everything. I think you would be happier if you did not focus a whole lot on your job, and you did so more on other," Alfred told his father.

"And you, my boy, must do more zan laze around all day. You do not care enough."

Alfred laid himself out on the couch's bed, biting into an apple. "We should go out and get some burgers. They have those in Canada, right?"

Francis couldn't help but let out a sigh. Of course he would ask for something, and then ask if the place had it... It was something he always did, and it was something that always dug into the Frenchman's skin. But alas, there was nothing Francis could do about the guy now. He was all grown up, and didn't take anyone's advice, but that's the way it was.

Matthew had hardly touched his hot chocolate, and the two had been there for nearly three hours now. Arthur thought maybe it was because it was hot, but the steam had not been seen since about a half hour after they got the drink. Thought Arthur wasn't really complaining. Matthew was never one to waste something, and he always wanted to try everything, no matter how gross it looked, tasted, or felt. But this Matthew was a different one from back then. Back then, Matthew always smiled, even when he was ignored, or left unseen, or even mistaken for his brother. The Matthew in front of him right now, was nervous, that much, was so easy for Arthur to tell.

"You haven't touched your drink hardly at all... Are you feeling okay?" Arthur asked Matthew.

The small blond on the other side of the table jumped at the sudden voice, but he didn't say anything for a moment, as if he was thinking about what to say, or still trying to process the question. He nodded his head, speaking his answer at last, "I'm okay." He took a sip of the now cooled off drink.

Arthur sighed, looking out the window for a little while before Matthew stood up. Arthur looked up and saw his son going to the kind lady behind the counter. He had always been terribly shy, but he pulled out the courage to talk to her, and she smiled, nodded, and took the mug from him, gladly heating up the drink for him. With a nod in thanks, Matthew returned to Arthur, who was still looking at him.

"Sorry," Matthew mumbled as he sat down. "It didn't taste very well cold..."

Arthur smiled to help Matthew relax. "I know. I'm surprised you took a sip despite how cold it was."

Matthew's face reddened. "I.. I didn't n-notice..."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh. "Ah... Sorry, my dear boy."

Matthew shook his head. "I've learned a lot in the past few years... I know you meant well."

Arthur's interest was piqued. Matthew was talking about his life away from home... But he stopped... There's gotta be something that he could say to get the boy to talk just a little bit more at least... The ice wasn't officially broken, but there was still this little bit of hope in Arthur's mind that it was okay already, and talking about it, would not be difficult for the boy.

"Matthew... may I ask where you've been for all these years?"

Arthur knew that was a mistake to ask when he saw Matthew's face pale.

"W-well..." Matthew started, not really sure how to respond to the question. "I've been... here and there..."

Arthur nodded, still very curious on what he had been doing all this time.

"I... I still play hockey... I've gotten better too."

"Is it possible for you to get any better? You were the one teaching your coaches, if you remember."

Matthew released a smile that warmed Arthur's heart. That's what he's been wanting to see: A smile, and now, he can die in peace... As soon as this mystery was found out.

"I'm sorry, Matthew... But we have to know... Who was it, who took you? Who do you claim owns you?"

"It's... It's a little hard to explain..."

"My dear boy... We've all day. I will wait for you to be able to say it."

And that's about the time Alfred burst through the door, yelling for "Francy Pants" to hurry it up.

Arthur sighed. Of course they would find that cafe to go into to ruin everything... But maybe it was for the best...

"Mattie!" Alfred exclaimed, hugging the smaller blond.

"Honestly Alfred, you're annoying as ever, get off," the younger complained.

"Whoa dude, chill. It was just a hug. No homo, right?"

Matthew rolled his eyes, looking back to Arthur, ignoring Francis who had also come up to the table to the pleasant surprise. "I can't say when we're out in public like this..."

"Nonsense! Just... Here, write it down."

Matthew shook his head. "We've no pens..."

"Just whisper it to me then. No one will know."

Looking around with worried eyes, Matthew leaned over the table and said one thing about the man, "His hands were cold... His face held a soft expression... But he laughed like a madman... His shoulder was soft, his steps were large... His hands grabbed me in... In weird places..."

Arthur put up a hand to stop him, noticing the boy was starting to relive it.

"He's done horrible things... I don't... I can't..."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Okay?"

Matthew nodded, and looked to his brother. "I'm sorry... I don't know why I was so mean."

"Don't worry about it bro. We're cool. More importantly, let's eat!"

Alfred pulled out a bag from a restaurant down the street, and started pulling food out of said. Matthew smiled, and took something he knew must have been Alfred's.

"No, bro, that's mine. Francis thought you'd like pancakes better. Ew. I don't know how people can eat these so much... for breakfast maybe, but it's lunch now."

"Did you get maple syrup too..?"

"Uh, duh. That's the only way to eat these things."

Matthew couldn't help but smile once again. He was glad he was back, and for now, the feeling of threat left him as he ate in the cafe, the hot chocolate going wonderfully with the meal.

But the girl behind the counter saw this, and dialed a number on her phone.

"They've found him," was all she said.

**A/N: I'm still not really sure how I want this to end, so I'm trying my best to keep things interesting for you guys... :P Hope you continue to enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

Everything was normal heading back to the hotel room. The four family members had decided that leaving the country would be the best for Matthew, and they would be leaving early on the next day. This all still seemed like a dream. Why had Matthew been taken in the first place? Why has he been changing his mind on going outside the room? Those questions came, but they quickly left seeing how happy Matthew was.

All was quiet that day as Francis and Arthur figured out flight plans, Alfred talked to Matthew about how amazing America was, and how dreadfully boring their parents' apartment was. The two talked about their respective sports, which was mainly Alfred telling Matthew how no one could beat him in baseball, or football, and that's when Francis and Arthur looked at him with a glare.

"Don't be bragging about your silly games, Alfred," Arthur told him.

Matthew laughed nervously. "I can't say I'm any good at those... I'm more of an ice person..."

Alfred stared a moment. "Dude... You're weird."

"Says the one who plays a sport with an egg-shaped ball."

"Do _not _dis my sport man! Not cool dude."

Arthur rolled his eyes, and went back to the planning.

Alfred didn't care what his parents were doing. He was just overjoyed that his brother was in front of him again, and warming up to him not as a complete stranger, but now, more like a brother should act around his brother.

"Dude, we have to play something when we get back home, 'kay? There are many video games that must be played, right?"

Matthew sighed. "I don't know about that... I'm not sure about that, Alfred..."

Alfred laughed loudly. "Sure you are! It'll be fun, trust me, would ya?"

The younger of the two exhaled once more. "Yeah, and I'm so sure. It happened so well last time."

Matthew's eyes widened when he realized what he just said, and both of his hands flew to his mouth, covering it so he would not say any more than he already had.

Six eyes were locked on the youngest, who was beginning to crumble under the very thought of what could happen to him going off of... If he told them, or if he didn't. What should he do? Video games... They were talking about video games, and he went completely off-base from there. Matthew kicked himself internally. How could he be so stupid?!

Matthew could feel all of his defenses failing. He could feel himself falling into a decline that would be impossible for him to return back up to. He wasn't prepared for this to happen. Why did he have to open his big mouth?

"Mattie..?" Alfred asked cautiously, but still making the younger recoil. "I... I never let you play video games with me. How would you know...?"

"How do you remember? I thought you were having a hard time remembering all of them," Matthew quickly countered.

Alfred bit his lip. The kid had a point.

Arthur backed up his older son though. "Alfred never did like playing with you lad. I hate to say it, but it was true. Often times, you'd be in the same room, but in the corner or somewhere out of the way, reading or doodling..."

Matthew cursed under his breath in French, causing Francis to gasp. It would be much easier to deal with the blue eyed man, than the green eyed. But honestly, he wasn't expecting anyone to hear him speak at all. However, what was done, was done, what was said, was said, and what was about to happen weighed heavy on the minds of the four men.

"So what did you mean?" Arthur continued on, not wanting to ask the question, but also knowing there was no point in sugarcoating it, or beating around the bush as they kinda already had been doing...

"W-well," Matthew barely managed to stutter out. Should he tell them? Should they know? It seemed like none of them knew what he was talking about... He could still get out of this. But he also knew his family was persistent. They would press him no matter what. They would do it discretely, or straight out. Either way, they would get the information they were looking for, so there was really no point in arguing at that moment.

Saving himself from further questioning, Matthew sighed and said quickly, "Alfred and I were playing thirteen years ago after my practice, and we were roughhousing, and this guy came, and Alfred pushed me down and ran away."

Four of the six eyes turned to Alfred, while Alfred's eyes widened at the statement.

_There's no way... I was the hero... Why would I leave Mattie there to fend for himself? He didn't even have his hockey stick! If he did, I wouldn't have played with him... Why did you do it, Alfred?_

"Mattie I..." Alfred couldn't get the words out. Horror struck him. It was _his _fault Matthew was taken. It was _his fault._

Arthur couldn't help but glare at his older son. Francis only looked at Alfred, not wanting to believe his ears. Alfred loved Matthew... Alfred was Matthew's hero... So why on Earth would he leave him like that?!

Anger swirled in Arthur's being. He couldn't believe Alfred. He couldn't believe he would do something so selfish and still claim to be the hero. But there was one thing that bothered him... Was Alfred no home with him and Francis the day Matthew was taken? Ah... That was right... Alfred had a friend on Matthew's team... He wanted to go over to said boy's house for a few hours that day... He was at the rink... So how come he was with Matthew after practice?

"Somzing doesn't add up," Francis spoke, breaking the deafening silence. "How come you were not home?" he pointed the question at Alfred.

"He was going to go to a friend's house who was practicing that day as well."

"Zen 'ow come he was goofing around wiz Matthew?"

Alfred looked up from the floor he had suddenly been interested in. "His session was after Matthew's."

"Does it really matter now?" Matthew asked, just wanting this to be done with this.

"Yes!" Arthur suddenly shouted at him. "Of course it matters! There's no way it couldn't! Matthew, you've been missing, and none of us knew why, or who. Now we know why, but we still don't know who!"

"And who cares?!" Matthew shouted, actually shouted back. "I've been missing. You didn't know those things, but I'm back now. Do those things really still matter more?"

Tears were brimming Matthew's tired eyes. He had gotten more sleep in two days than he had in the last week, but it didn't stop him from being wiped.

Francis went to Matthew and wrapped his arms around the boy. "No," he answered. "You matter infinitely more zan zose stupid questions. However... If we do not know... 'e could take more children... Ze pain of losing a child is more zan any parent should have to go zrough."

Arthur nodded, but didn't move any closer to the two. "Losing a child in death is nothing compared to losing a child, not knowing if they are dead or not; not knowing if they're being taken care of or not... Losing a child to something other than death is like a knife in your back you can't pull out without worsening the wound. Losing you, Matthew, and not knowing if you were suffering... Was like going to hell before dying."

Matthew buried his face in Francis' chest. He didn't know how much pain his family was in... He only knew the pain he felt... And oh, they were so different, but the pains stabbed them in the same way. Being away, and having someone taken away seemed like two completely different things... But they shared the same blade, and shared the same wound. The only thing different... Was the body being pierced.

"I'm sorry," Matthew cried quietly into his father's chest. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry." He kept repeating it over and over again, not actually knowing if it was his fault or not. He went through life believing it was, but he also knew that that was not possible. He couldn't help but keep apologizing. That's what he grew up thinking was the right thing... Say you're sorry and get punished. Easy for him to think... There was cruel punishments, but deep down, Matthew actually thought he deserved them.

Francis ran a hand through his son's hair, rubbing his back in hopes of calming him down.

"It's not your fault... Shhh... Be still..."

Matthew couldn't calm down. He was freaking out too much... But that wouldn't stop his family from trying.

"Come on Mattie," Alfred tried. "I'm super duper sorry about what happened... I was such an ass to do that..."

Arthur agreed with his older son. "Got that right..." His features softened. "Listen, love... It's been a long time... There's not time anymore for regrets. Okay?"

Matthew looked up at his dad, sniffling, but nodding slowly. "I'm sorry," he whispered once more. He wiped the tears from his face, and dried out his eyes. That's all he wanted... was someone to tell him it was okay, and that there was no need to remember. Life is too short for worries...

Suddenly, the door burst open. Someone had a key.

Arthur's eyes widened. "I don't believe it," he said, looking to the man who just entered in disbelief.

"You've taken him away... I want Matthew back now please."

**A/N: I'm so sorry guys... I got a little sick... And by little... I mean I could barely sit up let alone stand, and my computer is all the way across the room! **


	12. Chapter 12

Arthur's eyes didn't leave the other man's.

"My, Arthur, it's been a while... How many years now...?"

Arthur laughed a bit, sounding quite nervous. "Oh, who's counting silly years? What are they but numbers?"

The redhead laughed. "Oh, my, you are a tough man to talk to. After you've been filling your boy's head with how long it's been, and that you've missed him so much... You don't seem to have any trouble counting the years he's been gone... So how about the last time you decided to talk to me? When was the last time you ever cared to see how I was doing?"

Arthur's mouth went dry. He didn't know anything about the man before him anymore. Francis didn't really know either. The boy's wouldn't remember him at all, he knew. He didn't know why he felt guilty. Arthur decided long ago he wouldn't bother with him. But now he couldn't help but look down in shame.

"My wife died three years ago... I sent out a message asking you to come... But I didn't get so much as an excuse. Nothing. Not a thing."

_Is he trying to guilt trip me? If he is... I hate to admit it, but it's working incredibly well._

"Who's counting the years...? Well, I don't know about you... But I have. And I'll tell you, it's been longer since your son went missing."

Arthur's eyebrows knitted. "Ali-"

"No. Arthur, I'm not listening to you anymore. Not after you gave up. You wanna know how I knew your kid was missing? I read it in a newspaper. You wanna know how I found him? I found him with the help of your husband. He told me what happened. And I built off of that. Wanna know where I found him? Just a few countries away from where you were living at the time. It was hardly a drive at all, actually. But you lost hope after just a couple hours. Didn't tell anyone anything, right? Not me, not anyone. You just kept it to yourself, probably tried drinking away the sorrow... Such a pathetic way to go about it. But of course, you wouldn't think so, otherwise, you wouldn't have done it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Alfred said, breaking up the new man's rant. "Who the hell are you?"

"That hurts, Alfred, it really does," the man said, looking to the American. "But of course, you were probably too young to remember... It took Matthew a little while to get to know me again too."

Alfred cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"Alfred, your father... Arthur, didn't really think I was a good influence for you, and didn't let me see you often when you were young... He stopped it altogether when I moved to Scotland... But that doesn't matter."

"Wait, if you live in Scotland, why are you all the way over here?"

"If you would let me finish what I was saying, you would know that. After _I _found Matthew, and _I _brought him home, I decided it would be best if we left for a while. He was tight, and needed to learn he could relax... He hasn't really gotten used to being away yet. He still thinks he works for that man."

"Okay dude, that's all fine and dandy, but you never answered my first question."

"Alfred, honestly, I didn't think you could be so stupid," Arthur commented, but no one paid any mind to his statement. Matthew and Francis were looking from Alfred, to this other man. Matthew knew who it was, and so did Francis... Matthew wanted to burst from his place, and hug the man before the four. But he sensed something off with this... The redhead and Arthur should not have been fighting, and yet, they were... What has Matthew been missing?

"I'm your uncle. Allistor."

Alfred's head whipped around to look at his father, his uncle's brother.

"Might I ask why I didn't know this? You always kept secrets from us!"

Arthur sighed. He ought to have known something like this would come up. He just wasn't expecting it so soon. Goodness knows how well this was going to end.

"My brother isn't exactly good influence for you two. I thought it'd be better you didn't know."

"Yeah?" Alfred scoffed. "And how well is that going for us now? Look where's it landed us."

"I don't care about where it's gotten us right now. I was thinking about the innocent children I had originally raised."

"And lookit how well _that _turned out too!"

Allistor sighed. "So it's not just me he fights with, huh? You guys are acting like children."

"Shove off Alfred, this doesn't concern you!"

"Oh, it doesn't? If he's not my family... Then neither are you!"

Arthur couldn't help but take a step back. His own son... Was disowning him. "A-Alfred..."

"I don't want this coming from you, _Dad." _Alfred spat the word out in spite.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something back to Alfred, but remembered _his _brother's words.

"Allistor... What do you mean... by what you said earlier?"

"What? About me finding Matthew? About how weak you were?" He was being defensive now. "Are you wondering why I didn't tell you before? Well... I specifically remember you telling me you didn't want anything to do with me anymore... Taking that into account, I decided that I didn't want to tell you... Not like you would have picked up the phone anyway."

Arthur knew what his brother was talking about. It was many years ago he had said that... It was just something that came out of his mouth because he was frustrated... But before he knew it, both of them were taking it more seriously than any pact they made. There wasn't anything he could say to that... He was sure Allistor would have loved talking to him, but respecting what he had said... Didn't call or anything.

"Besides," Allistor continued, "Matthew made it pretty clear that he wasn't wanted at home."

Arthur and Francis looked to their younger son. "Matteiu... Is it true...?"

Matthew pushed himself away from Francis, and went over to Allistor, grabbing his hand like a child.

Matthew nodded slightly, opening his mouth a little as he explained quietly, "No one could see me at home... I thought maybe I was a burden... I... I didn't want to go back..."

Arthur, Francis, and Alfred looked down in shame.

"Shit man, I'm sorry," Alfred said. "But I suppose it's a little late for that now, right...?"

Allistor put an arm around Matthew protectively.

"Damn right it's too late," the older answered. "You lot are an excuse of a family."

"I wouldn't go that far..." Matthew put in weakly.

"I know. We are the worst family ever, but that does _not _mean we don't love him," Alfred quickly quipped.

"Hang on," Arthur said, gesturing for Francis and Alfred to go off somewhere else. "Allistor... You said Matthew still thinks he belongs to that man... But you never said who that man is?"

"That's because you didn't bother until now. Besides... You never really cared until now."

"That's not true, and you know it!"

"Is that so? What have been doing for these past few years, huh? Drinking...? Smoking...? Other things just a menial?"

"You're not really one to talk, now are you? You smoke what? Three packs a day?"

"Actually, I do not. That's just you thinking you're better than me again. Need I remind you who is older?"

"No, I know full well. But, Allistor, you seem to have forgotten who is older, and more mature."

"Oh yeah? Well, how about the summer of '52? Might I tell you again, that you were the one who set Dylan's trousers on fire. AND, you were the one who-"

"I might have done that, but it was on a dare _you _told me. We don't go around denying such silly things. We would never be allowed to forget it!"

"And? It wouldn't have been the first dare you decided to not follow through with."

"Oh, is that so? Well, I'll tell you that that is complete-"

"Will both of you shut up!" Matthew yelled, looking at both me before him. "Do you know who's acting like children now? My goodness, I don't think I've ever seen anything more pathetic! Raivis and Toris were pretty shaken about everything, but they still put up with it!"

Arthur looked at Allistor, and realized that the two of them were up against each other, fighting. Of course, Allistor had a little bit more height, but that didn't change the fact that the two looked about to rip each others' throats out.

"Who are Raivis and Toris?" Arthur questioned while Allistor just rolled his eyes.

"They were my best friends before Uncle Allistor took me with him. I don't know what happened to them though... They were probably punished because I got out, and they were on my team..."

"What were you supposed to do?"

"Oi, can't you see you're bothering him with these questions?"

"Shut up Al. I know what I'm doing. Matthew, answer the question."

"We weren't supposed to do much..."

"Matthew, answer the question," Arthur pressed, Allistor getting fed up with his brother.

"We... We were supposed to go out and do our jobs. That's it," Matthew answered. He wasn't leaving room for anymore question as he continued, "I'm not going home. I like it here... I-if that's okay..."

Allistor slapped Matthew's shoulder as he would his own son. "Of course it's okay you stay. You're old enough to make your own decisions, and Arthur can't say anything about it."

Matthew looked up to his father, looking around the hotel room, wondering where his other dad and brother went.

"He was scary..."

"Who's he?"

"You insensitive prick."

"How long has it been then? A few years?" Arthur demanded of his brother.

"It's been a month, Arthur. I don't know everything either, but I'm at least being patient with him."

"Ivan..."

"What was that lad?" Arthur asked, too busy fighting with his brother to hear what his son said.

But Matthew shook his head. He wasn't going to repeat himself.

"My God," Allistor said, looking to Arthur. He wrapped Matthew in a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was him..."

"Who?"

"You ask it of him, and you don't even pay attention to what he says! You're unbelievable Arthur!"

"What do you think they're talking about?" Alfred asked his father.

"I don't know... I hope zey are getting along zough."

"With how they were going at it earlier... I doubt it. Hopefully Mattie'll keep 'em in line."

"Unlikely... mon petit is not one to act as such..."

Alfred sighed. "Yeah... I know... I just still feel really bad about the whole thing... I don't like this all that much..."

Francis put an arm around Alfred's shoulders, in a similar way to Allistor with Matthew.

"It's alright... Your brozer is not one to hold grudges..."

"I guess... But it won't stop me from being upset... Besides... Allistor took better care of him than we ever did, and that's a fact that we can't change. But I am glad someone took him in. Whoever had him hurt him bad... He probably lost a friend or two... I want to help him back on his feet... I just don't know how yet."

"Whatever 'appens... It will turn out."

"You say that like you know it will."

"Because I do."

Alfred looked up at Francis, blue eyes to blue eyes.

"You better be right."

**A/N: We're nearing the end... I want this to be somewhat long, but at the same time, I feel like I'm trying too hard. I apologize if I messed up any names, please correct me if I am wrong. Enjoy, and thank you! You are all amazing people, and very kind. :D**


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur glared at his brother, wondering why this happened. His brother was being a grade A prick in his opinion, but he also felt like he was being irrational as well. But that didn't change the fact that he thought his reasoning was better than his brother's. Matthew hadn't spoken another word since revealing the name of the man he worked for... Something Arthur had demanded of his son, but ended up missing the word. Boy, was he kicking himself for that one.

Allistor glared right back at his brother, not impressed with him at all. Of course, there had to be something going on in his mind to think that he would just _ignore _his own son. What the heck was wrong with him, Allistor had no idea. But he wasn't going to let Arthur take Matthew back now. Not with everything the poor boy had to go through, and how he was mistreated before that as well. He knew that Francis meant well, and that Alfred really did love his brother, but there was no way he was forgiving his little brother now.

Matthew didn't move. How could he when he was stuck between a rock and a hard place? His uncle, who showed him freedom again, who saved him, and his father, who had taken him in after being abandoned by his birth parents in their deaths. Who was he supposed to go to now? His uncle, who seemed to be having a silent argument with his brother, or his father, who wasn't backing down? He loved his family, but he felt like staying with Allistor would be a better choice for him... Allistor was strong, and knew just how to press. He never reached a breaking point because he knew when to stop... Arthur didn't know when to quite, so as long as he had energy, it wasn't too much for anyone, apparently.

The door opened, and in came Alfred.

"You guys are really bothersome, you know that? Francis is worrying his butt off hoping you two," he pointed to Allistor and Arthur, "are getting along. But he doesn't think you are... Well... Are you?"

Arthur shook his head, looking down. "I'm afraid that we never really did, Alfred. Don't worry about it. We aren't going to kill each other or something drastic like that."

"Of course you're not," Alfred said before Arthur even finished his sentence. "I'm staying here so you don't fight beyond words, and so you don't make Mattie cry. Do you know how hard it is to watch him cry? It's very hard."

"Yes, I know," Allistor said, finally acknowledging his older nephew. "He's still fragile, but of course Arthur wouldn't really notice, now would he? Francis did... Alfred has a better grasp... And then there's you, Arthur..."

"Don't you turn this around on me. You didn't tell me. You never called. After a month of having him... I wouldn't have found him if it weren't for Francis."

"Dude, you're forgetting that I was the one who found him the second time," Alfred reminded his father. "So really, you didn't do anything. I bet you knew the handwriting, right?"

"How did you... Never mind, it's not important. It doesn't matter now."

"Right, and you're not my brother," Allistor supplied, continuing. "It doesn't matter if you say it doesn't matter. That's all opinion based. I know it's important to me. I know it's important to Alfred. I know you don't care because you don't like to see your mistakes placed out in front of you in a row where not only you, but everyone around you can see. Don't deny this, Arthur, I know how you think. You haven't changed at all."

"Oh, wipe that smug off your face. You look like someone molded you that way. Besides, you, my dear brother, are no different. I know your faults too."

"But the biggest difference between you and me, is that I no longer care about who can see my mistakes. Let them know what I've done. I have nothing to hide. Do you get it now? You are the one who doesn't want to talk about problems... Matthew doesn't like to either... He feels like a burden... And who, pray tell, is the reason behind that?"

Arthur didn't answer. He knew what it was, but he chose to stay quiet. He didn't want to say, was the truth. Who wanted to admit that they were the reason their son felt like such a burden? Who wanted to say it was them who made their son feel so unsure of himself, or think so lowly of himself? No parent wanted to do that, and with that in mind, Arthur said nothing; he remained silent.

"That's right, Arthur," Allistor continued. "It was you."

"Shut up."

"You're the one who brought him to this"

"You're a right foul git, you know that, Allistor?"

"In your opinion, sure. But I don't think there are many people who would agree."

The older pair of brothers glared at each other, neither backing down from their fight. No one moved for a moment. Alfred found Matthew, and held his breath. Matthew looked like he was planning to run away or something. He had to stop the two before they both broke his brother completely.

"How about Matthew just goes with Allistor right now, Dad," Alfred spoke, walking to the two feuding brothers. "I mean, he has been better to Mattie for the time he's had him, than we ever did in the five-six years he lived with us, right?"

As much as Arthur did _not _want to say it, let alone agree with his son, he couldn't deny it.

Arthur stood up and straightened his tie. "I suppose so... But this isn't the end of this, Allistor," Arthur couldn't help but add. He wasn't going down without a bigger fight. "You may have won this battle, but the war is far from over."

"I leave Ivan to you then," Allistor said, walking out the door, Matthew scrambling after.

Realization hit Arthur like a bullet train. That was the name Matthew said earlier. And while Allistor cared for Matthew, he was expecting Arthur, who he had always thought as incompetent, to take care of him, while not dragging Matthew to the police. It wasn't a genius plan... There were many flaws, and something could very well go wrong, and Matthew might have to go in anyway, but until it was demanded, everything was fine, and things were finally starting to look up again.

Francis ran into Allistor and Matthew in the lobby.

"So zhis is how it is zen?"

Matthew nodded, not meeting his dad's gaze.

"It's alright, mon douce. I understand... Do write... I will answer every single time."

Matthew gave a smile, looking up to Francis finally. With one last hug goodbye, and a camouflaged word of thanks, Allistor left with Matthew, Francis returning to the hotel room.

"I can't believe I said that," Arthur said. "I can't believe I just let him go like that."

"Don't go beating yourself up; it was the better choice and you know it," Alfred reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, you say that now, but just wait a few hours. You'll miss him again."

"I already missed him for thirteen years. Don't you think I could wait longer if need be?"

"You are doing surprisingly well with this, and acting quite mature.. Is something the matter?"

"Nothing is wrong, it's all good, seriously. What happened while we were gone? There was obviously something that went down here."

"Just a little tiff, is all... Ah, Francis... So good of you to join us again."

"I didn't know if I was able to return... After you sent us off like that."

"My apologies... It was family matters... I didn't want you worrying."

"So I'm no longer your family?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Arthur knew he was stuck now. "It's between me and my side of the family."

"While zat may be true, I still do not appreciate being left out. Next time, I won't leave."

"I understand. Thank you for leaving this time though. Hopefully you won't have to leave again. As of right now though, we have a man to catch."

Allistor opened up the front door to his cabin house in the woods, allowing himself and Matthew inside. It was left untouched from the last they saw it, the couch against the wall, the paintings across the way, on either side of the small television. The counters were shiny, the cabinets closed. The hallway was clear of anything that would get in the way of walking. Bedroom doors were closed, the bathroom one hanging open just slightly, telling the ones inside, no one was there.

Everything was quiet except for the small noise of the radio Matthew always had on in his bedroom that was barely heard through the door. Matthew went into his room, greeted by the cold air swirling inside. His bed was made, a red blanket, white pillows, white sheets, maroon comforter, and a black body pillow were neatly put together on the mattress. To the left of his bed, across the room, was a small wooden desk with a single lamp on top. Other than that, some schoolwork lay there, nearing done, separated into piles of finished, need to do, study material, and no longer needed.

Allistor was just across the hall, inside his bedroom. It was dark, and only had a dresser, a bed, and a nightstand with a lamp, as well as a book he's been reading for the past few days. Things were peaceful here, and all he had to worry about, was Matthew. Allistor didn't know if Arthur would take care of everything, but there was nothing saying he would, or would not succeed. But there was always that worry that nothing would go right...

Dinner was needed in just a few hours, and Allistor didn't know what to do for it. Matthew wasn't picky at all, but he still liked to stick with things he knew he liked more than things he knew he rather wouldn't have.

Allistor walked into the kitchen to check their supplies... It's been quite a stressful day... Perhaps Matthew's favorite would help him calm down... The redhead made his way to his nephew's room, and was about to knock on the door when it opened, revealing a stressed Matthew. No... stressed wasn't the right word... Nervous, scared even.

"Someone tried getting in my room," Matthew said quickly, hiding behind his uncle. "I don't know who it was.."

Allistor entered Matthew's room, said boy right behind him. He peered out the window, but saw no one there... There were footsteps leading to the backdoor.

Grabbing a hockey stick from the hallway closet, Allistor went to the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard.

There, about to climb onto the porch, was a short blond kid with features similar to that of Matthew.

Matthew gasped a name, and opened the door.

"Raivis!"


	14. Chapter 14

The three of them sat in the living room for a good fifteen minutes without anyone speaking. Allistor didn't really like it, but he also felt like he had no right to demand anything. He knew that this kid was friends with Matthew... It was just the way of getting in that brought the panic. No one really knew what happened where the two met each other, but that was the point. No one was supposed to know that that place even existed, which meant that it was just... Terrible. Allistor didn't even want to know how bad it was there. He just wanted to know that everyone was treated right and taken care of... Something he soon found out... Just didn't happen there.

But the silence was also starting to slowly ebb at Allistor's life. Someone just say something already! He didn't want to be the one to initiate the conversation, but if he had to, Allistor would start speaking.

He looked to Matthew, who was looking at the ground. Allistor's eyes traveled to the kid opposite him... the blond who Matthew had dubbed as Raivis, his friend. Does this mean he had to house two escapees? The one, he didn't mind. Matthew was quiet, polite, and never complained. He never got upset, and did as he was told.. He didn't know how this other kid was though... He seemed passive like Matthew, but that didn't mean he was anything like the other.

"Why are you here?" Allistor asked, realizing that no one was going to talk.

Raivis jumped at the sound of his voice, but quickly recovered, saying very clearly, "I ran away. Toris gave me the opportunity, and I took it. Our boss has been getting upset over little things since Matthew was able to get away... I wouldn't be surprised if he was giving everyone over there a hard time."

A bit more talkative than Allistor first anticipated... By far. He wasn't expecting anything more than he escaped, but he knew that all this information he wanted to know would come to him with just the question. Matthew wasn't like that. Matthew, he had to press for information... Something he really didn't like doing, but would if it would help anyone. Raivis... he wouldn't complain. He wouldn't fight, or keep the information away. He would just say it as it was, and leave it at that. This was going to be easy.

"Okay... But why are you _here?" _Allistor asked again.

"He knows you're here," Raivis answered, looking to Matthew, who looked up with wide eyes. "Someone called him... He's coming here personally to retrieve you. "

Matthew's head whipped around to look at his uncle. The fear was evident in the teen's eyes.

"A-are you sure?" Matthew inquired, looking to his friend again, hoping and praying that this was just some kind of joke that the younger was playing on him.

But alas, that was not the case. The thing was that this was no joke, and that the dangerous man, Ivan, was coming here, to Canada, to take him back to that horrible facility. He was in trouble once more, and this time, there was no chances getting out. The only way out of this... is if someone else took care of Ivan this time around.

"I-I-I... H-how?" Matthew stuttered out.

"I don't know... I don't understand... He doesn't have people out this far."

Allistor butt himself into the conversation again. "Maybe he decided to broaden his reach to find Matthew, and sent people out... the only question is: How come he's doing this just to find one person?"

"Matthew was his favorite," Raivis said quickly after Allistor spoke. "He treated him harshly, but it was still horrible for everyone..."

Allistor nodded slowly, understanding the situation at hand. "That would explain a lot... Raivis... Why don't you spend the night... it's already dark, so we'll do something in the morning..."

"Allistor, what will we do?" Matthew asked his uncle. "If he comes here, you'll... I'll... He'll... I don't... No... Allistor.. I don't want to go back... What should we do?"

"Matthew, calm down, it's going to be just fine. Go pack your things. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Where are we going?"

"I'll worry about that. Just.. Go pack your things. Raivis, go with him. It won't take long."

The two younger left, going to Matthew's room to pack, leaving Allistor in the room. "This is going to be a long process... It's going to be difficult for Matthew..." he muttered to himself, sighing heavily.

Arthur paced the room, looking around the place, thinking about what he had to do. He didn't know what he had to do, but he would definitely figure it out soon enough... Before anything happened to his son, or anyone else.

He stopped in his tracks, his thoughts lost when he heard his cell phone go off. Who would be calling at this time?

"Hello?"

"Arthur, get a move on," Allistor's voice came through. "One of Matthew's friends came by here. He said Ivan's coming here, and will be trying to get Matthew back. I'm taking both of them out of the country tomorrow. Make sure you take care of things here. The opportunity is presenting itself, don't you _dare _waste it."

The line went dead then, leaving Arthur standing there.

"Who was that, Dad?" Alfred asked, sitting up from the bed.

"It was my brother... we have something to plan."

It was at that moment Francis entered the room, untying the blue tie around his neck that matched his suit.

"I hope you have better zings to tell me zan ze people I saw tonight."

"We have a chance to end this whole thing tomorrow... Well... Soon."

Francis clearly brightened up. "Zat is good news! Amazing! Hurry up, let's plan zis! What 'ave you got so far?"

"Eh... Nothing. We don't have anything yet," Arthur admitted.

"Zat is no good! Let's go!"

Alfred looked at his parents. "We'll figure something out, don't worry dudes!"

Arthur sighed. He knew this was going to take a while. But... He _did _have Alfred there for whatever purposes were needed. Francis would be useful for... _something _he was sure.

Allistor soon stood in the kitchen, two blonds in front of him. He hadn't decided a destination, but it had to me somewhat far... Or maybe not even breaking the hemisphere...

The redhead snapped his fingers, knowing just where to go. He just had to make a call first... But still, they had a place to go now. It was about time his friend paid him back from all those years ago...

**A/N: Okay, this is shorter than I hoped, but it's been a long day of fixing my mom's car and I hardly had time. We know who 'He' is, and I'm pretty sure most of you saw that one coming... But now there's this friend. Who is it? And just a reminder, this has nothing to do with countries, this is strictly human AU. Thank you all, blessings on your weekend!**


	15. Chapter 15

Allistor stood in his room, a phone pressed to his ear as he waited for his friend to pick up. He didn't think she'd actually pick up, but the hope still remained... If she didn't, he would still go. After all, she still owed him, no matter what.

"A-Allistor...?" Matthew stuttered out, "Where are... where are we going?"

"We're moving to somewhere much warmer than here... We won't be found there, so don't worry. Despite how idiotic my brother is, he'll take care of Ivan for both of you, okay?"

Both boys nodded, and went to the kitchen when Allistor heard a voice greet him from the other end.

"Hello?"

"It's about time you answered. Do you know how many times I've called?"

"Allistor? My God, it's been so long! How are you doing? Are things with Artie any better than before?"

Allistor sighed. He knew he should have seen something like this coming, but he still had to do this. It was for Matthew, and that's all the motivation he needed to follow through with not only the phone call, but everything else as well.

"Victoria, before I answer all those questions, I need a favor."

"Of course! Now I won't have to worry about what it's going to be, and when. In fact, now's a super good time for this too... So, what is this favor you need?"

"I have two boys in my house right now, who have both escaped from a horrible man... Said man is going to come here because one of them, was his favorite... Toy. I need to take them both to your place for their own safety... I don't know how long we'll have to stay though, that information, I'm afraid I do not have..."

"Fear not, my dear Allistor. I willingly take all three of you in, so hurry up! There's no time to waste, yeah? When will you get here?"

"If everything goes as planned: just a few hours. Be ready for us... Don't ask questions... They're both a little... Uh..."

"I get it. Just get going!"

And with that, the line went dead. Allistor sighed. That's just her though... But now that that's out of the way, it was about time to start the move. Anything that wasn't needed would stay... This wasn't going to be a permanent move after all.

Arthur tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. The three in the room hadn't moved in at least an hour, just trying to think of an idea that would actually work. In a battle of strength, Alfred had the best chance against him... Brains would be Arthur... In his opinion, anyway... But the three of them needed something that would work without any chance of failing. After all, they really didn't have room for failing. The only thing was: How in the world were they supposed to pull this off?

"I got it!" Alfred said suddenly. "Oh, it's perfect!"

"This better not be one of your stupid ideas, Alfred. We need something that will actually get us somewhere with this," Arthur warned.

"Dude, it's all good. I've got it. This guy's Russian, right? Why don't we just put him in a sauna? He'll die of the heat in there because he'll come here in like... Winter clothes, right?"

Francis and Arthur shared a look before Arthur spoke to Alfred concerning his idea.

"As good as that idea is, Alfred... I think we should come up with something else..."

Dejected, Alfred sat himself back down on the bed. "Well what clever idea do you have then?" Alfred demanded of his father, staring Arthur right in the eye.

That's when Francis stood up. "No! I've got it!"

Arthur and Alfred turned to look at the third man, his blue eyes sparkling with this new idea he had come up with.

"It's quite simple really..."

The plane takeoff sequence wasn't unusual. It was as comfortable as it always was, and it settled nicely with Allistor. That was just one less thing he had to worry about. That, and staying with Victoria would help him out immensely. They had just a few hours to relax before landing, but that was plenty time to get things set in motion.

Allistor looked over to the two sitting next to him... Raivis sat between him and Matthew, the latter being next to the window, who was soundly asleep in minutes after the plane was securely in the air. Raivis seemed to be quite nervous, but didn't say anything. He was being polite, and was very thankful that Allistor was also helping him, and not just leaving him there, while he and Matthew left. It was something Raivis wasn't expecting, but was very glad it turned out like that.

As soon as America was right below them, Raivis started drifting off as well. Allistor was never one for falling asleep on a plane, which turned out to help him this time around. He didn't know how much more he could take of this stupid stuff. Why did there have to be bad people anyway? Are they just so incompetent in and of themselves that they cannot deal with the regular occurrence of an ordinary life that they had to do something to change that boring life just to do something crazy and weird to ruin someone who can actually deal's life? He guessed so.

But the problem arose probably about two hours in tow of the flight, just nearing the third. Allistor was calmly reading messages from his email, seeing most that didn't bother him, but then there was one that only sort of bugged him. It was a complaint, and it was clearly from someone on the plane. That being said, the only way someone could have seen his email, was to be behind him. Allistor thought back to all the people who passed him while using the bathroom who would be a likely culprit... But that would make no sense. The only people who passed him sat at least two rows in front of him, and there was no use complaining to someone behind you from there...

The redhead turned around to see if there was anyone looking at him. That would be the person he was looking for... But no one was looking. Turning back to his laptop, Allistor noticed something while it loaded. Someone _was _looking at him. It was a middle-aged man, his reflection glaring at Allistor for reasons he had no idea. It wasn't like any of the three in Allistor's row did anything wrong. If anything, it was the people around them that had done something wrong... So what was it the man had against him? Allistor really couldn't care less, but the gaze was just something he couldn't just... _ignore. _That would mean admitting defeat, and that was something Allistor refused to do.

So, following what seemed to be the most logical thing to do, Allistor stood up, and went to the man.

"Excuse me sir, I couldn't help but notice you staring at me in a not-so-friendly way... Would I be bothering you in some way?"

"Yeah, right now you're bothering me, ya idiot."

"Is that so, well, I would like to point out to you that I do not take kindly to rude people... Now, would you mind telling me what I did to make you so upset with me?" Allistor was taking the kind approach... if it came down to it, he would most definitely go harsh. And no one wants to see that.

"Your features just annoy me."

"Well, seeing as there's nothing I could do about that, nor you, I would suggest finding a more discrete way of showing your distaste. I apologize if I bug you by the way I dress, but seeing what you wear... Well, I think you should have someone teach you how to dress properly... Did you tie that tie all by yourself?"

"You little punk... I should complain."

"And where will that get you? Did you not know that this is a full flight? If you hadn't been staring at the back of my head, we wouldn't have a problem here."

Not wanting to hear another word, Allistor returned to his seat, muttering under his breath, some very rude things about that man. The flight would be over soon, which would really help in the long run, but honestly, the landing and getting their bags would take longer than anyone would want, and it would just end up being a pain in the neck.

Allistor looked at the boys next to him. Matthew was resting his head on his arm which was on the wall of the plane, and then Raivis, whose head was on his hand, his arm on the rest for his seat. It was quite peaceful for the time being... though Allistor still felt like wringing that other guy's neck because he didn't do anything wrong, and the man refused that information from him! And on top of that, he had just this shit to deal with... This whole ordeal with Matthew, Ivan, and Raivis now too. Ugh... Yup... worst month of his entire life.

"That's crazy enough... If might just work," Arthur said, nodding his head. Francis had just finished explaining what they should do to dispose of this problem, and so far, it was the best idea they had so far... And it wasn't like they had all the time in the world either.

"But of course it will work!" Francis stated boldly, "I came up wiz ze idea. It will work."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, but I still think my sauna idea is better."

"Even though it's not," Arthur muttered, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, Francis, how do we set up for this? How do we follow through?"

"Were you not listening when I explained it? Probably not... Alfred, let's go get zis set up. Arthur, you wait here until I give you instructions."

Arthur glared at his husband. He _had _been listening. How else would he have known that the plan might work? Some people just didn't understand. It wasn't like Francis had been clear when it came to the plan anyway. He was surprised Alfred got that all... Alfred wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but Arthur considered himself to be one of those sharp tools. But apparently, he wasn't on this day.

The landing wasn't horrible... But it definitely could have been better. First off, it woke up the boys. That was a plus because that meant Allistor didn't have to. Second, the pilot went to the wrong gate. (How does one even mess that up?) So they had to walk across the airport to get their bags. That was a con. Their bags were the last ones out. Another con. They didn't go the airport they expected. Another con. Victoria was there waiting at the entrance. A pro. Though how did she know to meet them there?

The girl with the tan skin, brown hair, copper eyes, summerdress, and flowers, stood before the three, staring at Allistor with a smile before she even acknowledged the exsitence of the other two.

"Welcome, my dear friends, to Seychelles. You've come a far, far way... Across an entire continent just to get here too! Please, follow me to my motor vehicle, and I will take you to my house."

Victoria turned and started walking, the three boys following her, Raivis and Matthew confused over who she was, but Allistor staring as her hair swung back and forth in a mezmorizing way. But he thought about why they were there, and under the circumstances they were able to stay. It wasn't hard to tell anything, but it was rather difficult to be sure of anything.

The vehicle was small, barely able to fit the four of them. Victoria smiled as she pulled out of the parking space, and started the trek home. "It'll be great fun while you guys are visiting. I promise you won't ever get bored!"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Allistor muttered, looking out the window.

"What was that?" Victoria demanded of the redhead.

Allistor put his hands up in a surrender gesture. "I didn't say anything. We're just glad you're being so kind as to allow us to stay in your home for a little while."

"Think nothing of it. Honestly, I don't see how anyone could stand to stay in that chilly place you came from. So, think of it as me, just being generous... And you boys back there will be safe. I promise, so don't you worry your little heads because no one is going to be nabbing you while you're in _my _house. No one uninvited gets inside my walls, that I don't know about, and won't be taken care of. You're all safe as could be here."

"We get it," Allistor said. "I'm sure Raivis and Matthew are just tired from all the events that have happened... So don't be offended if they don't respond to you right away... Also..." Allistor leaned in closer to Victoria, "the events that have happened... They're more fragile than they look. Please be careful."

The brunette nodded, examining the two boys in the backseat through her mirror. They _did _look pretty wiped, but fragile... Yeah, she could see that too.

"I'll be gentle," she assured Allistor, smiling softly. "They just need to remember the loving touch of a mother."

Allistor relaxed in his seat. He knew she was the right person to go to for this. Victoria knew what to do at the right times, and that was just fine with him... Perhaps, she would be a better choice to help out with not only getting more info out of the two, but also make sure they know that it's not all the world that is like that man they were under. Yes, this was needed, and there was no time like the present to get this figured out.

**A/N: Okay, so yesterday I got lazy... Sorry about that...**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay, so I don't know how to spell everything... Sorry. I noticed some mistakes fourth time revising... :P And wow, the title doesn't really make sense to me anymore... **

Entering the quiet house didn't bother anyone. It was completely silent, yes, but the atmosphere surrounding the building just gave the entire place a welcoming feel. Allistor looked around upon entering the living room. It was small, but roomy. It was the kind of room someone could just relax in, no problems at all.

The small upstairs was just as good... Three bedrooms, three beds... Only one had a dresser, and a filled closet, clearly, it was Victoria's. Aside from that, the other two bare rooms, with the freshly made beds gave an inviting notion to the boys... It was a good thing too because the two blonds could finally calm down, and get the much needed sleep they've had years to get lack of. Seeing how the best option would be for the boys to get to sleep in their own beds, Allistor elected himself to sleep on the couch that rested calmly in the living room. Hopefully by morning, everything would be solved... A low probability, but the chance was still there.

Soon, it was just Allistor and Victoria sipping coffee while having a curt chat about everything... Living conditions for the (prayed) short stay, why they were there, how long they would be there, and everything in between. Such a lovely conversation is was.

By the time their drinks were empty, and sleepiness grabbed hold of them, it was nearing one in the morning. Victoria said goodnight to Allistor, and stalked up the stairs, looking back over to the man to make sure she had pulled out a blanket and pillow for him. She did, but there was no harm in double checking.

Allistor laid his head down, and sleep instantaneously taking him under. He decided also, that if Arthur didn't have this problem solved by the end of the fortnight, the man was dead. Two weeks was plenty long to take care of this... if not, too long. But sometimes, Allistor told himself, Arthur needed more time than the rest because he's just... Special.

"This is the last straw," Arthur said, tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. "That frog thinks he can just call me up to come here, and then be late himself?! He better have a good excuse!" the Englishman growled. He knew Francis could lose track of time sometimes, but for something like this? It was just plain irresponsible, and it dug under Arthur's skin.

After a little more than ten minutes passed, Arthur decided to enter the cafe he stood in front of, and there, in a booth, was Alfred and Francis. Fury filled Arthur's mind. They were in there the whole time, and they didn't even bother to get him? They probably laughed at him from inside, wondering when he would give up and go inside. The bastards.

"I suppose you had me waiting out there just so you could claim I was the one who was late," Arthur spat to them, sitting himself down next to Alfred, venom covering his words.

"Non... We 'ad no idea you were zere."

"Yeah," Alfred broke off from Francis' words. "Besides, we didn't set a direct time either to meet up, so no harm done!" He took a sip from his drink as Francis slid over a cup of tea for Arthur.

"No harm done?" Arthur roared. "You don't seem to understand that I was out there for a good twenty minutes before I decided to come in here, to see you gits having a little social!"

"Don't you think you're even slightly overreacting?" Alfred questioned his father, sliding closer to the wall.

"Overreacting? I think not! You couldn't inform me that we were meeting _inside _is that it?"

Francis sighed. "Mon amour, did you not listen? You should hear more closely next time."

Arthur glared at his husband. "Of _course _I listened. Had I not, I would not be here, right now. Honestly, you people." The green eyed man crossed his arms over his chest, glaring off to the side, over by the counter... Many people didn't dare look at the man, his anger emitted off of him with an intensity to kill a tiger.

Francis sighed. Arthur _hadn't _been paying attention to his words because he remembered saying to meet _inside _the cafe, but of course, Arthur was just too much in a hurry. He should have known.

"But now zat you are here, we can continue to plan what we are to do, yes?"

Alfred nodded, agreeing to this. Keeping Arthur's temper in check would be more difficult than it should be, and more difficult, than what it is truly worth. He couldn't believe how quick his father was to accuse, or to assume. He didn't like to think that the childish man was his father. It was just unbelievable to him. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now, so there was always that problem, however, keeping his own emotions in check, even with his father's ways, Alfred would be able to control it.

"Okay... This brilliant plan of yours... do we even know if it is going to work?"

Francis bit his lip. In all honesty? No, he didn't know... but it wasn't like he was going to admit that when his son and spouse had so willingly gone with it. He had to be confident. This was, after all, for his Matthew, his youngest child... Out of two, but nonetheless, the younger of the two... The one Francis still thought should be under his care... still under his roof.

"It will work. I have no doubts."

_Zat is such a lie, you are telling zem, and yourself. But zis is what must be done in order to get Matteiu back._

Arthur nodded, looking to his drink. The liquid had long since gone cold, and was not worth drinking any longer. Reheated tea just didn't taste the same anyway. The drink was destroyed beyond repair at this point, and there wasn't anyway that it would ever be finished unless by the dogs.

Alfred looked out the window again, just people watching, laughed at all the people who were shivering, because they obviously didn't come to this country prepared. But there was someone who was clearly prepared for the harsh cold of Canada. He was just across the street, standing there... He towered over the people walking by him. White hair.. Pink scarf... _Guys wear pink? It's such a girly color. Ew, is that an old man... Hey... Is he looking at me...?_

He turned away, looking back to his parents. But the temptation was just too great. Alfred turned his head to take a quick glance again. Sure enough, that man was still there, looking at him. _What the hell is his problem? He's kinda creepin' me out man..._ The younger turned back to his dads, hoping they didn't notice... But things never went his way. Both men, the one across from him, and the one next to him, were looking at him.

"Alfred, what were you looking at?" Arthur questioned, looking out to where the man was standing... Except.. he wasn't standing there anymore. That's what worried the older man.

"It's nothing," Alfred lied smoothly. Years of practice.

"Nothing? You were obviously staring at something, and it was clearly distracting you from what we were talking about, so spit it out already."

Alfred sighed. "I'm freaking twenty-one. I don't need you on my case for everything I do now, so just leave it alone. Huh?"

"Alfred, tell me. Was it a person?" Arthur pressed him.

"It's no big deal. Just some creep with a pink scarf!" Alfred said more loudly than he intended.

Arthur looked at Francis, both of them thinking the same thing.

_Ivan. _


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So last chapter, someone said, didn't do a good job with skipping blanks for new people... Sorry about that. This one isn't so though! Thank you for reading, blessings on your day!**

As long as they knew he was in that town, everything was fine... What might not be fine, is that Ivan will be expecting Matthew to be with his parents and brother... But he wasn't there, and Ivan saw this. Now he'll be looking around for him... Maybe he was going to the hotel? If they made it look like they were nervous, they could get away with the man thinking Matthew _was _with them, and that he wasn't in the wrong area... That would be ideal. But that doesn't mean that's what was going to happen...

Arthur stood up, and went to the door of the cafe. He opened it, stepping outside for a brief moment. He looked around as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, producing a lighter from the other pocket to make it look like he was busy doing something, when in reality, he was looking for the tall Russian.

Francis looked outside from the place he was seated, but he didn't move otherwise. Alfred was confused as to why the two men were acting the way they were, but he really wasn't in any position that could easily question them on it. They both looked quite occupied with their searches... So maybe he should do the same..? Though he didn't really understand what they were looking for? It seemed they started after he mentioned the pink scarfed creep... So that's probably what it was... or rather... Who it was. That made more sense than anything else as of that moment, and that's all Alfred needed to know.

Alfred glared out the door, seeing his "gentleman" father smoking a fag. _He told me he had quit just a month ago! That lying goose... Or should I say gosling? He has much to learn, and learn, he shall._

Alfred stood, and went to the door, Francis didn't even notice him leave, which was plenty fine with Alfred.

The door swung open, and Alfred went to his dad, and stretched, his hand hitting Arthur's arm as it went up, the cigarette falling out of Arthur's grasp.

"What the hell!" Arthur exclaimed, whipping his head around, glaring at the culprit, who was now putting the cancer stick out. "Alfred..."

"You had just promised me you were free of this addiction. What happened?"

"I just needed to look like I was doing something?"

"Uh-huh, and how would Matthew react knowing that you lied? It's been _how _long, and you still haven't quite? I bet Mattie'll get sick thanks to second hand smoke."

Arthur opened his mouth, ready to rant to Alfred about how it really was none of his business, but he paused as he was about to start because just then, did he realize what his son was doing.

"Ah... Well you see... W-what does it matter now anyway? Matthew isn't with us right now. Remember? It was _your _clever idea to let him sleep while we came here."

"Yeah, well the guy looked so worn, and he would be sleeping right now, next to Papa if he came with us. It's just better for him to actually sleep in a bed, y'know?"

"Whatever. If _anything _happens to him while we're out, then we're pinning the blame on you lad."

"And I'm a hundred percent okay with that because I'm confident that nothing is going to go wrong."

"Yes, because when you don't think anything will go wrong, nothing does! That's just how it works for you, isn't it?"

Alfred smiled. "Of course! Because the _hero _never loses!" He pumped his fist in the air before dragging Arthur back inside, a smirk fixing his features as he saw that tall man smiling as he came around the corner.

"Zis is terrible! What will we do?!" Francis asked as soon as the other two sat down, acting the same as outside, stopping just as the third of their group began talking.

"Well, he thinks Matthew is here," Alfred said proudly.

"How did you manage zat?"

"Pops and I just had a little argument about leaving Mattie in the hotel to sleep... He just doesn't know that he's in a hotel. It was a pretty awesome performance if I do say so myself... And anyway, it got the job done, so we should just take the time we just gave ourselves to get this finished."

"We have to find somewhere secluded, right?" Arthur was confirming.

Francis nodded. "It will be too difficult in public... we'd have to explain ourselves to ze police."

Alfred nodded. "The coppers don't take kindly to anyone trying to do something that looks illegal, even though it is completely, through and through."

Arthur looked at his son. "And you would know this because...?"

"Fireworks. I gotta celebrate my country's freedom from your stupid one. You Brits just didn't want to live in the stupid rain you always have."

"It is _not _always raining there. That's false."

"Whatever you say dude."

"Getting back on track," Francis cut in before the two could start arguing again. "Zis will only take longer if we argue about menial zings right now!"

Sighing, Arthur nodded, turning back to the problem at hand. "Okay, so we don't want to kill him... But how do we do this without getting too involved without anything going wrong?"

"Why don't we just get the police involved? We have Matthew, and his friend now too to prove his wrongs, and we can find his hideout or whatever and find all those other people who were taken by him... I mean, think about it, if we got a hold of all the newspapers for the years just a few before Matthew went missing, and after, we'd find a bunch, I bet. I mean, the guys doesn't look all that young, but not old either... He was probably in his late teens when he took Matthew, and not a man like Mattie said."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded of his son.

"Well, we need all the more proof, right? Won't these papers help us? Where these other people were from... And all that junk? If we can get all that information, don't you think it'd be a whole lot easier to just... Find where this creep has been for the past few years, and then find all these people? Or ask Allistor where he found Matthew anyway? He wasn't exactly clear on that."

Arthur couldn't deny that his son had a point. It was rather strange that Allistor would withhold that information from them, even though he said the name of the man just as they were leaving... He failed to mention where Matthew was found, and that's what really was starting to eat away at Arthur. Alfred was making very valid points... He was disappointed in himself for not thinking of them. But there was something else too... Why would Alfred think of these things, and just mention them now?

"Why just now bring zis up?" Francis inquired, as if reading Arthur's thoughts.

"Because I just thought of it now. Come on, you have to give me some credit; you guys didn't think of it at all."

"While that may be true," Arthur swiftly put in, "it's still not a complete plan."

"And what Francis has is?" Alfred countered.

It was true... None of the plans they had really made sense. Nothing was complete, and at some point, they would have to either wait, or come up with something else. But how were they supposed to keep Ivan in the country for that long? Coming up with all that information would take more time than any of the three had. They would need to get someone who could easily pull this up to help them... But who?

Alfred snapped his fingers. "I know _just _who can help us."

It wasn't the wind hollowing in the trees that woke up the smaller blond. It was the feeling that he was all alone; the feeling someone was waiting for him to make the wrong move, and he was gone. Raivis sat up, and stared out the window... It was darker out than he thought it would be... It was darker at night here, than it was... _there. _Maybe there was a light set up at that other place that made it lighter there than here. But there was no way Raivis was going to find that out. He didn't realize that he was safe, and instinctively tried finding Toris. But alas, the older boy could not be found, as he was not there. In his stead, was Matthew...

Slowly, Raivis made his way out of the bedroom, and peering into the even darker hallway. He couldn't remember what room Matthew was in, and now that he thought about it, he didn't actually _see _what room Matthew went into. He would have to do some unscheduled exploring then.

Matthew turned on his side, blinking awake. He hadn't slept that nicely in a long time... He wasn't surprised to see that it was still dark out... He often times woke before the sun... No, but the surprising thing was not to do with the amount of darkness, or more like: the lack of light, however, everything to do with the noises outside of the room, but still inside the house. He didn't move, he couldn't move. He could just feel something going wrong. It didn't make any sense to him at all. He knew that Ivan wasn't there, but he couldn't help but think that's who it was.

The door to his room opened slowly, and the person there came closer. His back was to the door, and he really wished it wasn't. He could feel whoever it was, come up to his bed. Matthew desperately wanted to turn around to see who it was, but he just knew that he couldn't He felt like it would be the biggest mistake of his life... But at the same time, Matthew felt like just turning around would be the best idea, would be in his best interest... But something stopped him from doing so.

"Matthew?" a voice called out to him. "Matthew, are you awake."

A wave of relief flowed through the older blond as he recognized the voice. Raivis.

"Yeah," Matthew answered, turning around and sitting up. "Is something wrong?"

"I just... I feel bad for just... Leaving Toris there... I want to know he's okay..."

Matthew scooted over, and the younger teen crawled into bed with him.

"You know... This is a similar feeling to what I had when I first got out... I didn't want to leave you and Toris there... I didn't know if you guys would be okay... But it's only been like a month since I've left, and you're already out."

"So will Toris be out soon?"

"There's a chance he will. Besides, my uncle might be here with us, but my dad, papa, and brother are still figuring out this case, and before we even know it, everything will be as it should."

Raivis nodded, laying down.

"This house is so small... But it feels emptier than the place we stayed in..."

Matthew smiled slightly. "I know what you mean.. But it'll be okay. It won't take long, and everything will seem normal."

Raivis nodded. "Yeah... That sounds nice..."

_He was there longer than me... Does Raivis even remember his family? Does he know where he's supposed to go after all of this? And what about Toris? Do either of them know where they're to go? I hope so... they're really nice people, and they deserve to go home, to their families, where they belong..._

Before Matthew even knew it, Raivis was asleep next to him. He didn't mind... Suddenly, the room felt a lot less empty... He liked that... But that didn't mean he could go back to sleep...

Matthew looked to the clock on the wall... Yup... an ungodly hour of the morning... He was going to get a talking to later... But in the meantime, a nice book to read would suffice... He remembered some things... He wasn't educated really, and even though he struggles more than he should, Matthew loves reading. It's just so much easier than math to him. It made sense.

Greasy brown hair fell over shoulders, sweat dripped down from a forehead, and blood swam out of the boy's lip. Blue eyes darted around the room, searching for the threat, ultimately.. Not finding one. Though the immediate threat was gone, that didn't mean all was good. Though things were quiet, the teen knew it wouldn't last. He sighed, falling to his knees... He was tired out too greatly for his liking... even more so than usual, which bugged him to no ends... However, there was nothing he could do. All he cared about now, was getting out... Though that was his third attempt in the last two days... Things weren't really going that great for him.

"Raivis, you better have found Matthew."


	18. Chapter 18

Back in the hotel room for the night, Alfred, Arthur, and Francis changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep in. They knew that tomorrow, would be a long day for all of them, and that wasn't something they were necessarily ready for, but also, they were more prepared than the word itself. In their dreams, they would see nothing but success. They didn't plan to fail. But then again... Neither did Ivan.

Things were waking up... The house, the lights... The birds outside... Raivis remained asleep through the night next to Matthew, who had been reading painstakingly slow, but managed to near the end of it. Of course for the older blond, this was the most interesting part, and now there's not enough pages to resolve everything, but he doesn't know if there's a second book, and he just couldn't put the book down. He was glad he remembered how to read... He just wasn't happy because all the books he wanted to read, he didn't know how to pronounce everything, and it hurt his withered pride to ask... So he went through pretending like he knew every single word, and if he didn't know how to say it he'd just go "asfds..." and continue on, hoping it wouldn't come back to bite him not knowing fully how to say it.

The sun was just poking its head on the horizon line when Matthew put down the book, using all he had not to throw it across the room. He hated cliffhangers. But it there wasn't enough time to go out and search for the second book, which really irked him, but Matthew knew there was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to deal with it... besides, being left with a cliffhanger wasn't as bad as where he used to stay... At least that's what he convinced himself. Looking back at the clock, Matthew realized Allistor would be awake soon... But the question was: Should he leave Raivis, or would his movements wake him?

Matthew decided to take the chance, and slowly stood up, stretching. His legs had been crossed for so long, he was surprised they still were able to hold him. However, he wasn't really complaining... This was more like a... pleasant surprise. He slowly made his way across the carpet, to the close door to the room. He reached out a hand and grabbed the small doorknob, sucking in a breath, holding it until the door was partly released from the frame. It didn't make a sound aside from the sliding on the soft bristles of carpet underfoot.

Matthew couldn't help but smile as he successfully slipped out of the bedroom, and down the steps without bothering a single being in the house. He was proud of that, but knew that this skill was learned from all the times he tried getting out... He knew that Toris was tall, he was lanky, and clumsy... That's why he feared his best friend, would not be able to escape. He didn't have what it took... Though Matthew thought similarly of himself, but he still managed it... So why couldn't Toris? Then again... the brunette had been in there longer than even Raivis, and he still wasn't able to escape... Perhaps he was too soft... Maybe it was the fact that he was too large, taller than Matthew, and Matthew suspected he was even taller than Alfred. With this worry, Matthew's footfalls became louder as he trudged down the hall, though he did not notice.

On the bottom of the stairs, laying in wait, was Allistor, hearing his nephew's solemn steps. He knew the sound well, often hearing it in his days of young... It was a sound, he hoped he would never hear again, and yet, here it was, just above his head. He figured the only place for Matthew to go, was down those steps his eyes were so focused on. A minute passed... Then two... The noise from upstairs was no more... Had Matthew stopped? Is he standing there in the hall, waiting for someone else to find him? Was he talking to someone?

Allistor strained his ears, praying he would hear something... But he did not. For a moment, Allistor was frozen, he didn't know what to do... But that's when the soft sound came barreling through the halls, down the stairs, and found Allistor's ears.

Sobbing.

Allistor's feet brought himself up the stairs so fast he knew not what he was to find there, but a tear-trekked face. Amethyst eyes stared at him, watery and soft. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but it was the slight bleeding that spoke the loudest, even through the words of the tears.

"What happened?" Allistor found his voice saying as his hands flew to the boy's bleeding knee, torn pant leg.

"I am not cured of my clumsiness... I ran into the door, I didn't... I didn't see it.. It reminded me of something of other..."

"You might need these then,"Allistor said, producing a pair of prescribed glasses.

"Thank you," Matthew's small voice came through his uneven breaths.

"Something's bothering you... Come down with me, and we will talk about it."

Matthew nodded, and went with Allistor down the stairs, and to the living room, sitting himself down on the couch in which his uncle had slept.

"So what is it, that's eating at you so badly you forgot you were blind without your spectacles, so what be it conjured you to leave that room? What caused you to leave the comfort of the room?"

"I... Toris he... He's still there, waiting for someone to save him."

"Where is he then? If you were to tell us, then we shall find him."

"But he might not be there anymore... They take people away, and they never go back... I don't know where..."

"Were you taken away?"

Matthew looked up, his eyes wide. "I..." he started, but stopped suddenly. He finally nodded, remembering again. "They took me away from a nice house, with a nice lady. They... No, _she _took me to _him."_

There was no need to ask who the "he" was in that, for Allistor already knew... But the "she" was a different story when it came down to it. However, Allistor knew better than to ask, and just kept his mouth shut. There was no need in this sight, to question it further than already.

"We...I was taken to a very cold place... It wasn't warm in temperature, or atmosphere. I could tell it was for someone like me... Someone not wanted."

"I'm going to stop you there. You are wanted, Matthew. Why else, pray tell, do you think I was able to find you? And do Raivis and Toris not want you then? I'm pretty sure they do. You're their friend. Don't you think you're not wanted, okay?"

Matthew nodded, finding the floor suddenly very interesting. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry... What did the place look like?"

"I... It was... It was really dark.. There was nothing soft in there except for the bodies of those who couldn't make it... If it weren't for Toris... Raivis and I would probably be dead. He's the one who's been there the longest... Apparently... To most of the people there, I was the favorite... Before me, it was Toris... He was treated the poorest because of that though... Not by... Ivan... But by everyone there. Toris also... Put himself between me and the others... He got beaten because he refused to let them get me... And I just want... He deserves to come out."

Allistor nodded. "I understand... We'll get to the bottom of this, and it won't ever happen again..."

Matthew smiled. It was small, but Allistor caught it. Though the upturn of his lips was gone as quickly as it came. "But how will we save him... If we're here, where it's warm?"

That had Allistor pause. He really didn't know. Obviously, they would have to go elsewhere for this, but the question was... Where?

_Where did you find the boy? Allistor, all the answers are written here in front of you, not what they did, but where they are. All these questions swarming the inside of your head, leads to this huge theory that can be solved just by looking at all the pieces you have. So what pieces do you have? It was cold. You found Matthew nearing the border of Russia and Lithuania... But why were you there? Do you even remember?_

Allistor was too busy in his own mind that he didn't notice Matthew falling asleep with the materials he had there. Deciding to leave him be, and worry about this on his own time, which was now, Allistor went to the kitchen, and started making breakfast for everyone. He figured, since he was up, and since Victoria was a late riser, he might as well start with something now. It would ultimately help in the long-run.

But he wasn't the type of person who could work on something and just be done with it. He needed something to keep him occupied. It wasn't just cooking he was working on. So, he was making pancakes and bacon, while at the same time, working up something for finding Matthew's friend. That took his mind away from things, but also kept his mind in tune with everything. Allistor sighed, looking at the plate of pancakes already made. Was that enough?

_Is that all we have to do...?_


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Deepest and sincerest apologies. There are two of us working on the same story now, from one computer, and we've reached a huge disagreement on what should happen. Since I am the owner of the computer, my buddy's just going to have to deal with this update. Other than that, I... Well, we have no excuses. Honestly, I think we were doing better when my friend didn't care about this, and just let me do my stuff... But noooo. Anyway, sorry about everything, and enjoy. Blessings!**

"He isn't anything special just because he's trying to escape."

"Yeah, but there isn't anything we can do... Do we not also want to escape?"

"Would you two be quiet? You'll give the man an idea."

"They don't know what they're doing. At least someone here knows what they want."

Four voices echoed in the near empty room. There were but ten in the room, five of which were centered together, one of which, asleep. The other five, scattered, different cells of different sizes strewn in the room's large expanse. Of course, the one they talked about, against popular belief... Was not Toris. It was the one at the end of the room, near the back, who was never let out anymore.

"Who does he think he is anyway?"

"Quiet! He'll hear you! Don't you know what happened to the last one?"

"Toris? He didn't say a word about the guy. He just tried doing something similar."

"Poor guy... And now he's being beat for the two escapees."

"Shut up! He'll hear too, and be reminding. That kid's got enough problems."

"Kid? Isn't he older than us?"

"No way! He's just super tall. But he is the veteran of us all."

"Should we talk to him?"

"Do you want to die?"

The four continued to speak, hushing themselves and each other every now and then. They didn't pay any mind to the other people there. Toris, could not sleep because he was in so much pain, and the voices would not go away. He didn't process that they were people in that very room with him, for he could see only the wall he was facing. He shivered, cold of the night that seemed to be falling upon them.

The large door on the edge of the room suddenly opened... It was the best chance to run, Toris knew, for it was the little girl who brought in the food the ones in the room got on occasion... But Toris was just too worn, too tired... His world had started morphing into itself, and standing was out of the question. He just wanted to lay there, and not move anymore until he felt like it. At that moment, he knew he couldn't escape.

"I'm sorry... Raivis... I failed again..."

Toris could just picture Ravis standing before him, smiling and telling him it was okay, and that there was always another time. But to Toris, there really wasn't another time... He had to get out... _now. _The only problem was: he couldn't escape.

Allistor stood in front of the window for a good two minutes before he decided enough was enough. He couldn't just stand there thinking about what could go wrong, or what could go right with this little plan he devised in the past hour or so. It had to be done if they were to get Matthew's friend out before it was too late, that much, Allistor knew. The only thing now was to see who would stay with Victoria, and who would go with Allistor... Three people would be too many, but one is just not enough. Allistor didn't know how Matthew would react to being back there, but then again, Raivis didn't seem too stable either... So which one would be the better one to take? Perhaps he should ask Victoria about it later when they got some time to themselves...

Matthew's eyes opened as he slowly woke up from his position on the couch. He didn't really remember falling asleep again, but he figured it didn't really matter now that what was done, was done. He didn't know why he was on the couch, of all places... And since Allistor was supposed to be there... Well, it didn't really bother Matthew now. This wasn't the first time something like this has happened, so once again, it didn't really bother Matthew any.

But instead of just laying there, like he wanted to, Matthew sat up and reached a hand up to rub his eyes to find out there was something blocking his hands' path. Ah... He forgot to take off his glasses again... Shrugging his shoulders, Matthew followed the mighty familiar smell to the kitchen.

"Looks like someone finally decided to get up," Allistor commented, laying out a plate of pancakes on the table.

"I was tired," Matthew explained. "There's been a lot on my mind recently..."

"And you've been losing sleep over it."

Matthew looked down, nodding. "Yeah... But it's okay now... The talk we had... It helped me realize something..."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"No matter what Ivan does... He can't break The Five."

"The Five?" Allistor asked, confusion clearly filling his brain.

Matthew nodded. "The Five," he repeated. "They've convinced everyone they are brothers, and I wouldn't really doubt it either... But they are the toughest ones there. But not all of them are the same way."

"What do you mean by that?"

"One is loud and overly confident in himself... But he won't stop unless he is sure the other four are safe. That's Magnus. He's kinda like my brother... Both are pretty bossy and don't like listening to others... Another of The Five seems just plain kind and gentle, and very weak... But to be completely honest, he has a very strong center that no one can compete with. Though he's quiet, he's the one that always makes the atmosphere lighter, and calms everyone down. But that's just Tino." Matthew smiled as if remembering something very sweet. "One of The Five also is very modest... Emil. He always stitches up clothes for everyone because he wants them to look their best... Apparently, looking good improves your attitude towards other people and things too. I thought that was pretty cool.. He's a nice guy."

"Are all of The Five guys?"

"Yeah... Is that a problem?"

"No... Matthew, were there any girls with you guys there?"

"Hmmm... Not that I recall... Toris was often mistaken for a girl... I was to, actually... But I don't think there was anyone who was actually a girl. At least, not on our side of the room. Anyway, you didn't let me finish with The Five." Matthew puffed his cheeks for a moment before getting on with it. "Lukas is a weird one. He's kinda.. Shy, I guess... Mysterious, definitely. He doesn't talk much, and doesn't show much emotion either... But he always knows what to say when he does speak. Lastly, we have Berwald... He and Toris don't get along very well, but I don't really know why. The five get along strangely.. But it works."

"Once you start, you just can't stop, huh?"

"Um... I guess," Matthew said, his face reddening in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay... Were there any others?"

"Yeah... Not including me and Raivis... there were like... twelve... But two got away before I did. They were the smartest. So there are ten left. Five, are the ones I was just talking about. Another, you know is Toris..."

"So who are the other four?"

"Well, one of them was the one who always held the group's peace. He's a good guy, always keeping everyone's nerves at bay. Very smart. I don't remember his name though... Uh... Jett was pretty cool... Though strange as well... But there was one guy no one wanted to mess with. At all."

"Who was it?"

"I'd rather not say... But he's known to attack anyone just for their appearance... No one lets him out of his cell anymore, and everyone else was grateful for that."

Allistor nodded. "That sounds just about right... Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it."

Matthew smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't you worry about anything. I'm going to talk with Victoria later... See if I can't go to get your friend out.. And possibly some of the others as well."

Matthew smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Raivis will be so happy!"

"Why don't you go wake your friend, and see if Victoria's ready to eat."

"You can count on me!"

Allistor laughed. "Ah, kids... once you let them be kids... They're precious." He glared at his phone. "Arthur, you better be taking care of what I left you with. Prove my thinking of your incompetence wrong, or there will be huge consequences."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This is longer than I ever thought it would be. Thank you all for the positivity, and for sticking with me. I can't say I'm wrapping this up in the next few chapters because in all honesty, I don't know myself... I'm trying to keep this one story as my own, but my friend butts in whenever she can. :P Anyway, thank you, blessings on your way!**

The amount of sleep added up for everyone in the one room would not be any more than five hours. All three men were too busy thinking about the main threat to actually do anything even related to sleep. Despite how tired they might have been, there was nothing that appealed to them more than finishing the test of which has been placed before them. There was a dangerous man out there, who was looking for their Matthew, and everyone else would sooner find Alfred, Arthur, and Francis in hell before they gave up on this case. But being that all three of them were complete rookies at this, and that they all had too much pride to go to authorities just made thinks infinitely harder for them... But now that Alfred had this friend helping them... It'd be easier, the other two figured.

"Alfred, when is this friend supposed to be here?" Arthur asked, looking at the clock.

"Would you just relax. He does have to fly in, you know, and it's not exactly a simple four hour flight from the states."

"Yes, yes, I know that, but it's been five hours since you called."

Alfred sighed. "Is Papa asleep?"

Arthur turned to his side to find his husband was in fact, in the land of dreams. "Yes," Arthur answered his son.

"Then be quieter and let the man sleep. My friend will be here soon, don't worry. You should just feel lucky that he's coming at all. He didn't _have _to come all the way here. He's like... Super far east of us anyway."

"Yes, yes, so far east that he should just go east to get here."

"Would you stop complaining already? You're so childish."

"I'm childish? Who's the one who is still obsessed with superheroes?"

"Hey! Don't you push your hate over here."

"You're also the one who still refuses to go to be before ten because it's just outrageously early before then."

"It is! But hey, you're the one who had a bright future and threw it away for a bar."

"My pub is amazing and well kept."

"You're the one who gave up on finding Mattie after just a couple days. How foolish."

"That doesn't mean anything now. It was a very sad time, so stop this nonsense already."

"You have so much drama in your life... I'm surprised you two are still together."

"You wouldn't understand yet. You're still young, and can still do the stuff you want."

"Yeah? Well, you have all the money in the world. If you're so old, why don't you up and retire already? I'm sick of your high school drama."

"It's not high school dra-"

"Cancel my subscription, I'm done with your issues."

"What? That doesn't even-"

"Done."

"Alfred, you're so insufferable!"

Alfred smirked. "Why thank you."

"It wasn't a compliment."

"You just don't think it was.. It's all in the eyes of the seer."

"Now you're talking gibberish."

"Am not. You're the one who taught this mouth to speak anyway."

"Why you little sh-"

Arthur's words drowned when the knock was heard at the door. He feared it was someone in another room complaining to them, or even worse, the staff. But he wasn't the one who would get the lick because Alfred went to answer the door.

Light poured into the room as the door opened wider, allowing in a short man with black hair and dark eyes.

"I told you he'd be here soon. Arthur, this is my friend, Kiku. Kiku, this is my dad, Arthur."

Kiku bowed and said, "It is very nice to meet you."

Arthur didn't know what to do. His hand was out for a handshake, but then the man bowed. He guessed this is what happened when two different cultures clashed.

"The pleasure is all mine," Arthur ended up saying, his hand finding its way back to the side of his body, and eventually, into the pocket of the pants he was wearing. This was going to take some getting used to.

Allistor stood there, and he suddenly thought to himself concerning the conversation he just had with Matthew, _Wait... There are ten left... Five are... The Five... Toris makes six... The one he can't remember is seven, the one he won't name is eight... And Jett... That's nine though... Did Matthew accidentally miss out on one, or was it purposeful? I should ask him later._

Soon enough, three more people entered the kitchen. The brunette sat down at the table, and proclaimed loudly, "You didn't have to make anything. I am perfectly capable of making my own breakfast for everything, but thank you very much!"

The smaller blond yawned cutely, as he also sat down, the third choosing the seat next to Raivis.

"Ah, so the both of you finally decided to get up."

"Shut up. It's not like I was able to get much sleep last night."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"You of all people should know. You do know that you were the one sleeping right under me, yes?"

"No... What is it I was doing?"

"Cursing your brother. Honestly, how childish can the two of you be? You thought you were quiet? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Anyway, you need to sort out your problems on your own time, and don't you be shoving this into other people. I don't want you poisoning Matthew's mind over who's side he should be on."

Allistor rolled his eyes, sitting himself down at the table with the other three. And they ate. After everyone had satisfied themselves, Allistor took care of the extra, while Matthew and Raivis offered to do the dishes. Victoria assured the two boys it was nothing, and that she was fine doing them, and that they should just go have fun for a while... But Allistor still had a question for his nephew to answer.

"Matthew, I have something to ask you."

Said boy turned around right as he was about to climb the stairs, right behind Raivis, who also turned around.

"What is it?"

"When we were talking earlier... You said only nine, but mentioned there were ten..."

"Oh, yeah... There was another person there..."

"And...? You gonna share that information with me?"

"Oh... Uh... Yeah... Sure... Um... Raivis, you want to go on ahead?"

Sensing the tension, Raivis went on ahead and went to the room he and Matthew were going to hang out in. He felt the conversation should be private, even though he was there, and knew everything about what they were talking about.

"You probably know him well... My papa does.."

"Francis does?" Allistor asked.

Matthew nodded. "He and Papa were close... He was a Spanish man... Antonio..."

"Whoa... That's a bit of an age difference.. And wait.. Francis didn't say anything about one of his friends being missing."

"Actually, the youngest is Raivis... He's fifteen... I'm the second youngest... Toris is my age... Just a couple months younger. And if you take into account that Antonio is younger than both of Papa's friends... It kinda makes a little bit of sense, doesn't it? I mean... When Alfred and I were adopted, Dad and Papa were just married.. They were what? Twenty/twenty-one? Alfred was six. And it's been what? Fifteen years then since? So my parents are about thirty-five/thirty-six... That makes Antonio just a year or two younger... Sure, a thirty-three/thirty-four year old is getting pretty old up there for what they do, but it's still not enough."

"So how long has Antonio been there?"

"Just a few years... Not as long as some..."

"I see... Think your Papa is still awake?'

"Probably."

"Go play now with Raivis. I'll talk to you later."

Alfred and Arthur were having a staring contest as the newcomer sat down uncomfortably on the bed as directed by Alfred. Kiku didn't dare say anything to disturb the two until a cell phone lit up, vibrating violently on the table.

Alfred picked it up without checking whose phone it was, or who was calling.

"Hello?" he answered, the anger laced in his voice gone by very much so noticed by his father and his friend in the room, but ignored by the person on the other end.

"Alfred, is Francis awake?"

"Eh... No. He's the only one asleep right now, why?"

"Of course," Alfred heard from the other end, along with a long sigh. "I just found out some information he might want to know, that's all. Can you tell him to call me when he wakes up?"

"Um... Sure. Why not."

"Thank you."

**click**

"What was that all about?" Arthur demanded.

"I was just Allistor asking for Francis. That's all. You freaking old man."

"What was that?"

Kiku sighed. There was no taming these two.

Toris opened his eyes slowly, the little light from outside poured into the room, catching in his eyes. He didn't know if it was artificial light, or actual sunlight, but as of that moment... He didn't really care either.

Sitting up was horrible. It hurt, and there wasn't much to see either. God he hated this place, but it was rather difficult to escaped... Toris figured after so many have gotten away in such little time, security was boosted... It seemed almost unfair.

"Buenos días mi amigo!" a friendly voice sounded in the brunet's ears. "Are you feeling better?"

Toris could only nod, his voice lost in his dry throat. He was sick of it. Sick of the place, sick of the cold, sick of the dry throats he seemed to get every morning. But the man before him also didn't like it, he knew it, but he also put up with it. And Toris looked up to him for that.

It was decided. Another attempt would be tonight.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I apologize for such a short chapter, but here you go! Thank you for reading and liking... Uh... Yeah. Again, I don't know when this will end, but keep up with it please and you'll know. Blessings!**

Upon waking up, Francis was greeted by three faces. One of which, was unfamiliar to him. He looked to Arthur first, searching for answers. But before the Brit could say anything, Alfred was holding out the Frenchman's cell phone, waving it quickly in his face.

Francis grabbed at the object, finding it difficult when Alfred wouldn't stop moving it. Eventually though, he was able to get it from the younger's hand, and slide it open with a finger. He found one text message that stood out to him.

**I'm sure Alfred will forget to tell you to call me when you wake up, so please do that. I have something to say that you might want to hear.**

Francis didn't hesitate to call. He was sure Arthur would mind, but this sounded important, and if it was, Francis wasn't going to be responsible for not getting the call done with. He stood there, waiting for an answer as the phone rang once... Twice... Three... Finally, someone picked up.

_"__Ah, Francis, it's about time. Did you sleep well?"_

"Yes, I did, zank you for asking... What is it you wanted to tell me?"  
_"I'm glad you want to get straight to the point... You have friends, right? Stupid question. You had two friends in particular that you hang out with, right?"_

Francis didn't know where Allistor was going with this, but he decided it was probably for the best he went along with it. "Yeah... Zough one of zem... I haven't really talked to in a few years."

_"__Do you want to know why?"_

That sentence caught Francis off guard. Did he want to know why one of his closest friends never picked up when called, or never returned calls he missed? Of course! Thinking about it... The last time Francis spoke to said man, he was talking about his fiance... He was so excited for the wedding... But the invitations never went out... Francis wasn't even sure what happened to the bride... Francis couldn't even remember a name... Did this have something to do with the case they were working on? Oh God, part of Francis wanted it not be so, but a part of him also prayed it was because... They would find him soon enough then... Right?

"What happened?" Francis managed to pull out of his thoughts to ask.

_"__I was talking to Matthew about what it was like there; who was there... He kept saying he was worried about one of his friends there, but he never really said anything else until now..."_

Francis waited patiently for the man on the other end to continue.

_"__He talked about ten others being in the room, not including him, and the friend that found his way to us. I still don't know how he did it though... Anyway, Matthew said something about an Antonio being there... I had a feeling this was the same person, and Matthew confirmed it. I thought maybe Antonio being too old for what it was they did there, but apparently, it's not just what we were thinking... But I have a vague idea of where the place is, so as long as you keep Ivan busy, I can find your friend, and free these other people."_

"I understand. Zank you for telling me. I will talk to you later."

**click**

Francis looked to everyone in the room. "We have to finish zis quickly. We need a better idea."

Naturally, all eyes went to the newcomer.

"Wellllll..." Kiku began.

"Matthew, do you think Toris will ever make it out of there?"

"Of course. Besides, if anyone deserves to get out, it's Toris, right?"

"Yeah... I suppose so.."

Matthew smiled. "Hey, it'll be alright. My family is all out working on this. Okay? Just have a little faith." But to be honest, Matthew didn't know anything that would happen himself. However, there was no way Matthew was going to let Raivis know that.

The smaller nodded. "Yeah... You're right. I'm sorry... Your family must be really amazing, huh?"

Matthew smiled, but also felt a pang of sorrow for the boy before him. Raivis and Toris both didn't know their family... There had to be something to make him feel better... So, against wiser judgement, Matthew suddenly blurted, "They're not my real family."

After drinking a little water, and clearing his throat a bit, Toris told the man before him what needed to happen.

"Antonio," he said, "I am weak, and younger than you... Do you have any words of wisdom that could help me escape?"

Antonio's green eyes sparkled. He was waiting for a moment like this one. "Yes... I know what to do, and I know how I can help... You and me, my friend, will get out of here, and find our family."

"We-well... I don't... I don't have anywhere to go..."

"Oh, no worries!" Antonio stated, still a little more enthusiastic than he should. "Mi casa, es tu casa. Si?"

"I... I guess..."

"Good! So we have no problems then!" Antonio smiled, and his contageous behaivor certainly passed itself to Toris as well.

"We should all escape together... The ten of us."

Antonio nodded. "Si, mi amigo."

The Five nearby also listened in. One in particular jumped at the chance and looked to the others. He looked like the one who was "in charge" of the group.

"You hear that? That means we're all getting out of here. Tonight, after many a year in this hellhole."

One near the back of the group merely nodded. The others also liked the sound of this idea. Getting out? Seeing their families again? Oh, yes. That sounded very nice indeed. Freedom from this seemingly inescapable place? Count them in!

The group of half the people in the room made there way over to where the other two had been speaking. Yes, they would greatly want to get away from that place, right now, as in today.

"We want in."

Antonio smiled at the five, ready to happily accept their help, but something stopped him for a moment... However, he still ended up with a smile on his face as he said, "Thank you! We'd be happy to have you with us!"

And so, the people on the interior of the bars, began devising a plan, making preperations, even as the others, free as could be, planned for their escape as well.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I would just like to apologize to those who have made it this far, if any of my writings offend you in any way, shape, or form. Please tell me what it is that makes it so, and I shall stop. I also apologize if anything doesn't make sense, or if it's confusing. Thank you for reading, blessings on your day!**

Alas, the group managed greatly compared to the soft feeling in the line of sight from the guards. But nothing was going exactly as planned. They were tired, worn, and they needed all the energy they could muster. But it was thanks to this energy that a successful escape was initiated and followed through with. It was a great day for them... But had they known where to go, it would have been better. Some of them would probably freeze to death with how things were... It was cold; colder than ice itself... But that wasn't going to make them go back. No... they had gone too far to get to where they were now... Huddling together to keep warm, like a flock of penguins during mating season.

But how did they get there?

~Flashback~

_"__Okay, so we all know what to do, right?" Toris asked the group, a littler nervous about the effiicency of the plan. He wasn't really that confident about what they were about to do, but it had to work. It just had to._

_Everyone around Toris nodded. Even the one who didn't like other people was paying close attention to make sure he did his part. This was it. They were going to get out. It would be a long and painful process, but Toris just knew they were leaving that place... Today._

_Antonio walked to the place where he was to start. Once this started, there was no turning back, and everyone knew this. This was it; the final attempt. The one that would get them all out at once. _

_The guy in the back started freaking out, cussing and banging on the bars of his cell... This was the first step: The who better to do it, than the guy no one will ever let out? _

_Three guards entered the room, a fourth standing in the doorway to keep the others from exiting. Step two: Antonio takes care of the guard in the doorway. The Five take care of the three that enter the room. Toris searches the persons for anything that could be useful to them. Step three: They leave the room._

_They all were doing their parts, and the plan was being pulled off flawlessly. So far, Toris's nerves were leaving him, and confidence filled him completely, though his haughty spirit did not last long as he went to door, the others following behind him. This was it. They were doing good. Just a little longer, and they will be free!_

_"__We're almost to the end!" one of the group said, bursting in front of the others, with Toris shouting: "No, wait!"_

_But it was too late. Blood splashed to the floor, onto the walls, onto (mainly) Toris, who was right there. He wasn't fast 's eyes went wide as he felt the warm, sticky liquidy substance roll down his face, spraying on his face and onto his body. Toris couldn't move. He was shellshocked... Everyone was so close, but the yearning for freedom, the need, the want... It became too great, and now one was dead._

_Antonio got Toris moving again, pulling him along as the others took out the one who killed their ally._

_"__They killed him... Th-they re-really did it," Toris mumbled, his mind not right. "I knew... I didn't think... It's all my fault... I can't... It's me..." The boy was crying, shaking uncontrollably... if it weren't for the man carrying him on foot, Toris would definitely not be standing then._

_"__It's okay," Antonio tried. "You didn't know... It was his fault for getting ahead of himself. Calm down." But it was to no avail. Toris was too freaked out to calm down. Antonio could feel the boy's heart rate speed faster and faster as he kept going._

_The ones that were left soon came up to the two. This wasn't good. Antonio didn't think it was just the death that happened there that was making Toris act like this either. He sensed a memory or something came up, which made this a whole lot worse than it was._

_So as of that moment, the plan was ditched, and it was run for your lives, try to stay with at least one other person. The only thing that would bring them to freedom now, was pure determination. And it worked..._

_~End~_

Antonio rubbed Toris's shoulders. The Five were checking out the rest of the cave they found to make sure there was nothing else that could keep them from sleeping peacefully that night.

When they reached the front of the cave, where the other three were located, Toris now throwing up.

"Things aren't looking good," the unnamed one said. "It's too cold to move any further, but it will get too cold in here to sleep... By the looks of it..." he turned his head to see if Antonio was listening, which he wasn't, so he continued. "I don't think it's just the fact of what he saw making him sick. We should be careful for a while... At least until we find another place to stay."

Nodding, the "leader" of The Five also took a glance at the two near the entrance. This was a lot more stressful than he had ever anticipated beforehand. This would bring more problems in the longrun, but in the meantime, surviving was the biggest thing they had to worry about.

What could they do? Their clothing was thin, they had no fuel for a fire, and no food. The temperature was slowly dropping colder and colder, and they didn't know what to do, let alone, what direction to go when they were able to leave the cave. This was just all so stressful. And the day went by so fast... That's how it went, and now they are trapped without a way to go at all. The rest of the plan was perfect... But they didn't plan for anything at all after they got out... And that was their biggest issue, and Antonio, being the oldest of the group, worried the most.

"What do you mean they're not your family?" Raivis asked, confused.

Matthew didn't know why he was saying this... There was no reason he should be. But he still continued on with it. There was no turning back now.

"I was adopted when I was younger... They don't care for me as much as I ever thought."

"Matthew... They _picked_ you. Out of all the kids in that home, you were the one that was picked. Aren't you glad about that?"

"I... I never thought about it that way..." Matthew admitted.

"Yeah... You really are lucky."

"Hey, I bet your family loved you. I bet that when you go home, when we find your family, they'll be so happy you're back, that they'll just surround you with love and happiness."

"Yeah, whatever you say..."

"Matthew!" Allistor called from out of the room.

"Hold that thought. Sorry,... Yeah?" Matthew spoke first to Raivis, then answered his uncle.

"We're leaving now. Hurry along."

"Raivis too?"

"No... Sorry bud... There'll be too many people if we take Raivis too."

Matthew looked to his friend. "Raivis..."

"It's okay, Matthew. I know it's better off if I stay here. I'll make sure there's warmth and cookies when you get back."

"Make it pancakes, and you've got a deal."

"Alright. See you when you get back."

"Bye, I'll meet up with you later..."

And so the two were gone.

"That plan is better than all of ours combined," Arthur said, nodding approvingly at the short Japanese man before them.

"Thank you Arthur-san..."

"Alrgiht dudes! Let's do it!"

"Hold on there, bucko," Arthur said. "We still don't know where exactly this man is. We need to find him in order to do anything."

"I know, but when we do find him... I'll be ready," Alfred responded, cracking his knuckles.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sorry guys... I think I'm going to push back the post everyday thing... I apologize, but there are finals coming up for me, and I'm finding it harder and harder to get this done, even though studying is something I fail at most... :P So, I'll let you know that I plan to post a new chapter, every other day now. It'll give me a little more time to actually think about what I'm typing, and not what's going down in my brain for everything in my life. Thank you for reading, again I apologize for the inconvenience, but I really need this. Please also understand that there will probably be more mistakes now, than ever before, and I'm positive there were mistakes before. This is so long, sorry.. Probably coming up to the length of this chapter... :P Anyway, thank you, blessings! **

There was no mistaking the snow outside. It would blind them if they were to move. It was still night, from what they could tell... But the cloud cover was thick, and it was hard to see the time of day. In the duration of the time they had been there, Toris was able to calm down, and was now resting on the side of the cave, his back to a wall, his butt planted on the ground.

The other people knew that they were doomed if they didn't get out of this place, but they knew that it was not safe. They were losing the only hope they had... They didn't know what those cold stone walls were protecting them from until now... The nine of them would eventually go their own ways, but until that moment arrived... They were stuck together.

"When we see the sun, we should start moving, otherwise, we might never get out of this place. If we die trying, so be it, but we'll die here if we just sit, and not even try...And that's truly pathetic."

Everyone nodded. It was true. Death was going to be apart of this, and if they didn't know that before, they knew that the moment the silent one was killed. If they didn't know that before, they definitely knew that now.

"It's so cold..." Toris said, rubbing his hands together.

Antonio nodded. "We should have brought blankets..."

The others started muttering amoungst themselves. They would freeze to death for sure. What a horrible way to go...

"We don't have anything to use for a fire... We can't get warm..."

"This seems so fictional... Shouldn't this be in like... a movie? Please tell me this is a movie..."

"This isn't a movie..."

"We're going to die!"

"Would all of you be quiet!?" When met with silence, the man left unnamed continued. "Thank you. Now... It doesn't seem like any of us are really used to this type of cold, right? Huddle together... Our body heats will warm us up, and we'll be good. Alright?"

Obeying, everyone got closer and closer together, albeit, slowly.

"Remember, once we see sun, we're leaving."

But they didn't change positions, and in the morn, when they woke... An unpleasant surprised awaited them.

Seven of them remained.

"Matthew, we're going to be boarding soon. Do you know where you're going once we get there."

Matthew looked up to see his uncle's eyes on him. "To be completely honest, I don't, but I know roughly about where we're supposed to be... I know the area well... Those maps you found really helped me out."

"That's good. You lead the way when we get there, and I'm sure your friends will be there, ready to get out, yeah?"

Matthew nodded, allowing Allistor to lead him onto the plane, ready for a long journey, ready to see his friends again... Matthew was ready for this all to be over.

"Wait, wait, wait," Alfred said, looking at his friend. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what he said," Arthur answered for the Japanese man. "You heard what he said..."

"But how? How is it that he's not behind it all? How is it you're so believing of this?"

"Who says I am? I'm not really wanting to believe it, but he has concrete evidence that proves everything we were thinking, way wrong."

"Allistor and Matteiu are on ze plane... Zey're going to Russia as we speak," Francis told the three men, reentering the room from a phonecall from Arthur's brother.

"Good. They're doing their job then... It'll be good, yeah?" Alfred inquired, looking around.

"But if it's not Ivan, then why would they be in Russia?" Arthur asked.

"Because they know Ivan-san would be accused," Kiku supplied for the others.

"How do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"Ah, zat makes sense," Francis said, nodding his head. "Look at the man... He looks like it would be him, and he's been accused of many ozer zings that bringing forz anozer case wouldn't be impossible."

Alfred also nodded along, understanding what his father was saying. "I get it... But why Ivan? Surely there's another who would have been a better choice..."

"Zat, I don't know... But building off of zis information, we can finally take a stand and fight back."

Alfred pumped his fist. "Oh yeah! I'm so ready for this! Don't worry Mattie, we'll take care of your problem!"

"But we still don't know who did this..."

"But we also know somone who might know," Kiku noted, looking out the window.

"Yes, but how are we supposed to talk to him?"

"By going up to him? Offer to buy him a coffee...? It'll come to you when you get there."

"Me?!" Alfred asked, incredulously. "Why me?"

"Because... We'll be the ones doing everything else."

Alfred sighed. "Of course, yes, I'll be right on that, yes sir, I will do my very best. Yes sir, I just will go do that."

"Good. I'm glad you agreed to this. Thanks for your hard work."

"Uh-huh. I'm so very sure that's how it is."

The men talked over their plans, and then they went out on their way.

_How can it not be Ivan? Isn't that who Matthew said it was? _Arthur couldn't help but think. _It just seems impossible for this to happen._

Toris rubbed his eyes awake, noticing the cold of his hands first. It was like pins and needles piercing him. It burned... But it was not hot. Something like this didn't seem like anything at all, but it hurt.

Toris screamed from the throbbing pain that started pulsing through his hand... Both of them, he soon realized. He pulled himself away from the group, falling to the ground, the cold air, and the cold ground meeting him.

The others soon found themselves awake from the scream.

Everyone's heads turned to look at Toris, who was crying, his arms folded, his hands hidden... He was so cold...

Antonio went to the younger one, trying to comfort him, while two of The Five tried waking the other two who somehow did not wake up. But they wouldn't move. Their bodies were cold and stiff... They didn't know what was going on, but they tried again and again until finally, a voice spoke to them.

"It's no use... They're dead."

"That's impossible. They _have _to be alive," the one named Magnus said, as if begging the other to tell him it wasn't true.

"It's my fault. I thought... It wasn't supposed... I can't... I... I ..."

"Toris..." Lukas tried, but Antonio put an arm out, preventing them from touching Toris.

"Toni, what the hell?!" Magnus demanded, his two dead brothers seemingly forgotten.

"Don't touch him. Just leave him."

The others watched in horror as Toris just had a complete breakdown, his tears freezing on his face, and not able to stop. And the others' inability to do anything... It just hurt them too. They didn't think anything of it when it first started happening, but when that time came, Antonio was able to prevent it... Now... Well, now... It was completely different. They couldn't touch him. Antonio wasn't going to let them.

Magnus turned his attention back to the two that were still frozen in their positions... He wondered if it hurt to go like that... From the looks of it, this happened while they slept... They looked so peaceful, and Magnus was actually kinda jealous of them. Regardless, they were gone, and there was nothing they could do. The only option now, was to survive for them, and live the lives they were meant to... After all, what else was there to do? Once someone is gone... They're gone.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I saw an idea in my reviews that I really liked, so there will be something going down. I apologize for not making it clear as to who was gone... That's something that sort of slipped my mind, and I'm sorry. The people left are: Toris, Antonio, Magnus, Lukas, Emil, and the unnamed guy. That means both Tino and Berwald are dead. Thank you for reading, and all the feedback! Even though there aren't many reviews, it's amazing that this story has done so well, so thank you all! Hopefully this chapter is a bit better than the last, and hopefully you all still like it! Blessings!**

Emil didn't know what to do. This just seemed to be happening all too fast for him. Toris was on the ground, Antonio was stopping everyone from touching him... Two of the closest people in his life were gone... And he didn't know what to do. He didn't like talking much, and he wasn't appreciating anything to do with this cold... One of his easy going brothers was gone, as well as the logical one. Dead. He just didn't like it.

Slowly, he moved from his position, to the mouth of the cave. The snow wasn't letting up any, and that meant they would all freeze to death, Emil just knew it... But there was something he saw that surprised him. It was a weird shape in the sky, and as he watched it, it just kept getting closer and closer. He didn't realize it was going to hit him, until it did.

The first thing he felt besides pain, was feathers. Emil looked at the figure that had run into him, and realized it wasn't the typical kind of bird you would find here. At least... He was pretty sure... Black back feathers with a white belly and face... Black, orange, and yellow beak... It had to belong somwhere warmer.. And for a moment, all Emil could do was stare at the thing... It stared right back. After just a minute like that, Emil decided the bird would go with them, and they would find their way back with the bird.

Emil hadn't noticed Toris had finished with his little... panic attack, he guessed... But that didn't really draw out his attention, but the two people... His last two living brothers were the two people who were looking at him, questioning why there was a bird there. Emil didn't really have a good response to that, but hey, a bird was a bird, and even though they didn't have food, this little guy couldn't be too bad... if need be, they would eat the thing. But Emil didn't really want that to happen...

Matthew and Allistor didn't really know what they were doing, but they were in Russia now, and they knew they had to do something. It was cold, but of course, they weren't where it would be even relatively warm, so that sorta sucked for them. Hopefully they could figure out something, otherwise, all of those people would be left to do absolutely nothing but starve.

Matthew was leading the way, and he had successfully gotten the two of them lost. And by lost, it's meant... In the middle of nowhere, lost. Allistor didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but he decided that whatever happened, happened.

Allistor's phone buzzed, and he looked down to see what was going on, only to be surprised by a message from Francis telling him: _It's not Ivan._

"Not Ivan?" Allistor couldn't help but think, not even noticing he said it. "Hey, Matthew," Allistor spoke againg, intent on asking about it, only to find the boy was no longer in his line of sight. "Matthew?" Allistor called again, once more, getting no response. Fear rose in his stomach, thinking about all the bad things that could have happened to the boy.

Allistor started running forward, listening for anything that could help him locate Matthew, while also searching for the teen. Alas, nothing came up until Allistor realized that he had been going in circles the entire time. When did he start going crazy, he didn't know.

"Allistor, I found someone who'll be able to help us," Matthew's voice came from his left.

Allistor turned his entire body to look at where Matthew's voice came from. He was met with the boy, but also something else... No, not someone, but a something. And that something, was a polar bear.

"Where did you find that?" Allistor asked his nephew.

"What? Oh, Kumajiro? I just met him right over there. He was pretty sad, so I thought I'd cheet him up... But I think he's missing his friend... We should help him."

"Matthew, we have our own problems to take care of."

"But Allistor, just hear me out with this one. If we help him, maybe he'll be able to help us. That would be fair, wouldn't it?"

Allistor thought for a few moments... How on earth was a polar bear supposed to hlep them with their problem? He didn't really know, but there was no arguing with Matthew. It just dind't work out that way. Matthew wasn't very strong with his words, but he was able to just melt away all toughness of anyone, and just... Watch it slowly go down the drain... So Allistor didn't even try this time. He just let it pass, and allowed his nephew's messed up thinkings to work. He went with it, that is to say.

Matthew beamed at his uncle, looking so happy with the desicion made. But there was something that still got him a bit worried. He just didn't know what it was yet. However, if there was anything that was for certain... Matthew was feeling a lot better now that Kumajiro was there. He felt things would be a lot easier and safer.

Allistor followed his nephew and said boy's new companion. He didn't think anything of it at the time... But how in the world did Matthew know the animal's name? Was it he just made it up on the spot? The possiblilities were almost as endless as to what the heck was happened with the whole group. Like... His text... It wasn't Ivan? So who was it then?

Alfred shoved his hands in his pockets as he strode down the street. He didn't like what he was doing one bit, but something didn't add up to something... But he just didn't know. He didn't want to be the one talking to Ivan, that, he knew for sure. It sucked, but he knew no one else would do it, and he wouldn't force Kiku to.

Alfred's eyes traveled around, hoping to just find the man quickly to get thsi done and over with. But the universe just hated him. He didn't find who he was looking for, and the diehard, freedom-enforcing American... Well, his patience was being tried. He wanted to know what was going on... But without Ivan, there wasn't a way to do that.

_Ivan helped me... I owe him everything... But people just don't get that._


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: I am so sorry guys! Someone, *glares at friend* broke my computer, and I just got a new one today! So, hopefully now I will be able to do some work! Thank you for your patience, and blessings on your day!**

Alfred's hands were shoved deep in his pockets as he stormed down the street, his anger seething through his teeth. He couldn't believe he was left to do this. He didn't want to, but no, he didn't have a say. Nope, he had to go through and through, no distractions. That meant, no coffee, no strolling, and especially no shopping for his favorite merchandise. Sorry Cap, that cup looks super cool, but he can't. His light up Captain America sneakers that he found... Ordered... Would just have to satisfy his needs right then. Of course, he wasn't looking where he was going either because let's face it, Alfred just thought his light up shoes were so much more interesting than what was going on around him. And of course, he couldn't really walk in a straight line either. He was bound to run into something eventually, 'cause that's just how things went for him. All the time. No matter where in the world he was. It's just how it was.

But there was also that _one person _who would actually do something about it. _One person _would actually say something to him. Well all hell was going to break loose if Alfred didn't get his job done right. Good Lord, have mercy, Arthur would _kill _Alfred if he didn't get the job done... Right. But if someone was going to tick Alfred off, so be it. To the blond, it seemed like a pretty valid reason to be a few minutes late of delivery of any information whatsoever.

"What the hell-" Alfred started to say before he looked up, a little alarmed by what he saw. He'd never, in his life, seen anyone with red eyes. White hair, yes, all old people had white hair, but this guy didn't look that old... Maybe older than Alfred, but not like... grandparent old yet. But it was still a little alarming to see that frightening sight.

"You don't seem to know that you just ran into an awesome person."

Alfred's face went from slightly terrified, to one that said: "Are you freaking kidding me?" This guy was something else, he had to be. He called himself awesome, and he had a dark blue shirt on with white letters that said: 'You can't spell awesome without me' in all capital letters. He was taller than Alfred, the American wouldn't deny it... But ugh, it just didn't work. The man was self-centered and just seemed so full of himself. Alfred didn't like it.

_Think about it... Were you not also like that? Especially when going against your friends with games of any kind? I bet they all just really hate you, but they know you have connections._

Alfred couldn't help but chuckle just a little at the sound of his own voice in his head. It didn't sound like him at all... It also upset him that his voice was unable to be raised, nor could it get any quieter. It was simply the volume it was, and there was no changing it.

"Oh, I know someone ran into me, thank you," Alfred told the other guy.

A tick appeared on the taller guy's head. He smiled, growling a little, ready to fight. He didn't mind fighting, not at all, and if it came down to it, that a fight was to happen, well... So be it. "Well, it seems like you need to be rechecked for what you processed verses what I got. Let me tell you that I'll let you pass should you just apologize... It's something the awesome me doesn't do often, so just listen, and go, and you'll get away with your dignity."

Alfred chuckled and sarcastically responded with, "Oh, I'm so scared. What are you going to do? Cut my jugular? Not with all these people around you won't."

"Acting all high and mighty because you think that keeping yourself in a public place will stop me from killing you. Well, just think about it for a moment, and see what happens." The man grinned at Alfred, wondering what the heck he would do next. It wasn't like the guy could do much, so there was that... He meant, like... Alfred was nearly two times smaller than he was, and that meant he was just so puny, and unable to hold his own against anyone.

"I know I can take you in a fight, whoever you are. You're one to underestimate me and my power." he flexed his muscles.

The man guffawed loudly. "As if."

"I can, and I will take you down. So, just leave it as it is, and just leave me the hell alone."

"You're the one who wanted to pick a fight."

"It's all in your imagination."

"Bull...shit..."

The other man smirked. "You're a strange little man..."

"Alfred," the blond provided.

"Alfred," the other man used, "But I think I like it. It's weird, but it's something... The name's Gilbert by the way. I think I'll be seeing you around... Maybe here.. Maybe not."

And with that, Gilbert clapped Alfred's shoulder and continued on his way, acting as if nothing happened at all.

"What a strange man... Very weird."

"Matthew, I hope you know what you're doing."

"Following Kumajiro, of course."

Allistor sighed. "Not exactly what I was looking for kid."

Matthew smiled, and continued on his way, just following the polar bear, not bothering with whatever was concerning his uncle. It wasn't like it was bad or anything. Should anything happen... well... Nothing would happen, and that's just the mindset the two had to hold while they were in search of Matthew's friends. But little did they know... The others were also on their way towards the two, the animals being the linchpin in this entire thing. The odds of them finding each other were just too slim otherwise. But with the animals... Their instincts would draw them together.

Emil and the others left the safety of the cave, hoping the bird would bring them somewhere safe before they froze to death like the other two. They really would be better off dead right then, but if they persevered, they would have an ultimately better life than they ever thought was possible, and that's the thought, the dream, the wish that kept them going.

Everyone was freezing cold, shivering, trying to take their mind off of the cold. If they were able to do that, then everything would be fine.. But it was just so cold, and soon, sickness would probably set in, and that would be another problem that could prove fatal if not taken care of. And this is another thing that made them continue on, faster and faster. They had to survive, even if they didn't know where to go. At least they tried.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Okay, I actually know what I'm doing now... For the most part, so things will be easier to read from here on out. Sorry about that, and thank you for reading, blessings!**

Everyone was shivering. It was cold, and the clothes they were wearing weren't meant for this sort of travel... They were hardly clothes at all, to be honest. But that really wasn't going to stop them. They had freedom held by the ankles... They were so close to getting their permanent freedom, that they could taste the clean oxygen already. It was the best feeling they've ever had, and they weren't about to turn around and ruin this opportunity. It was so farfetched, following a puffin of all things to their dream... But at that moment, their desperation would have clouded any sane decision, and this was something they could be thankful for, since no one was currently trying to kill them... Except the god of cold, if there was such a thing.

The red faces of the group was proof enough the weather.. If they stayed in this any longer, it might turn into some sickness, which was something they really didn't want to worry about quite yet. Maybe once they knew they were safe, then they could worry about it, but not right now.

"We should stop soon," Antonio said, looking at the rest of the group. They all looked worn, a couple of them, sick. If they pushed themselves, they might just not make it. "Find a place to escape the cold wind..."

"We have to lay something down this time," Toris added, looking around tiredly. He felt weak, but ignored it. It wasn't exactly the first time of it. "The cold ground is worse than the wind."

The others nodded, and was intent on following those orders, but the bird insisted they continue on. It didn't seem to take note at the physical strength the group was lacking, and only chirped to make sure they kept up. While Magnus and Emil did fine, but others like Lukas and Toris were about to drop, they could hardly walk anymore. Just a little longer was the sentence that floated in and out of everyone's head... They didn't want to lose after coming so far... They just couldn't...

* * *

Matthew looked around, but didn't see anything that looked familiar. He frowned surveying the land more. "Allistor, Kumajiro is taking us the way you didn't want to go, so if you don't want to continue with us, that's fine."

"Oh no, boy. Mama didn't raise no quitter. I'm coming with you."

Matthew smiled. He was glad his uncle would be with him still. He was glad his uncle found him. It just calmed him, knowing Allistor was there... If it was his brother, it would have the same effect... just knowing he really was loved, just warmed Matthew's heart.

It didn't take long until a sign of life was heard by the two, and that's when they broke into a run.

"I can't go on... Any longer..." a voice wheezed quietly, but with the large expanse, it still echoed.

"That's Toris!" Matthew had gasped, and gave up on following the bear, and guiding himself completely on instinct. If he hadn't been paying attention, Matthew would have run right into Magnus, who immediately got defensive, and would have punched Matthew in the face more than once, had no one stopped him. But Emil actually recognized the amethyst eyes that were wide with fear at first, but dulled down with realization.

"We found you," Matthew said, tears of happiness filling his eyes. "Finally."

* * *

Francis was just chilling in the room with Kiku and Arthur sipping tea on the floor. They were waiting for Alfred to finish his part of the plan. It was taking longer than it should have... That meant the boy had managed to get himself sidetracked... Which should not have been surprising in it's simplest form. Suddenly, the Frenchman's phone lit up with texts from someone he hadn't gone drinking with in a long time... Gilbert.

'I just ran into your son. He's a lot less mature now that he's older.'

'What were you thinking sending him on his own like that?'

Francis smiled. He knew what they were thinking, but they didn't exactly think it through. He didn't reply, but he was surprised his old time friend was in the country; especially considering where the guy lived.

"So it's like this: Matthew said something about remembering someone with blond hair and blue eyes, and it turned out to be Alfred, his older brother. But then he told us Ivan, when I asked who did it... Was he lying?" Arthur was heard, speaking to Kiku.

The Japanese man thought about it before responding with: "It's probable the name was all he could remember..."

Arthur nodded, not completely understanding, but still getting the idea through his thick-but-not-as-thick-as-Alfred's skull.

Without another word spoken, the door to the room burst open, and Alfred ran in, sweat coating his face, his shoelaces untied, and just looking a little out for a few moments.

"Did you find Ivan?" Arthur inquired, doubting his son.

Alfred shook his head, taking a few more moments to catch his breath.

"I knew it. The job was too bloody important to give to Alfred. What were we thinking?"

Alfred held up a hand. "I didn't find Ivan," he repeated... "But I found out something that's just as good, just as reliable, information."

* * *

Toris was dead on his feet. He couldn't step forward one more time. Antonio had him going for a while... Bless the man... but with each step, it became harder and harder, and the walk just seemed to drag on longer and longer... Would they ever make it? Toris was beginning to think... No, they wouldn't. But then Matthew nearly pushes Magnus to the ground just by running. Relief filled Toris's being as his legs gave up holding him. Thankful Antonio was there to support him, Toris saw Lukas also being supported, by the guy no one really knew. At the moment, it didn't seem like the guy would do anything, but he still hoped someone else would take the little weight of Lukas from the soul. He could be a little dangerous, and that's what Toris didn't like.

"We've come to take you home," was the last thing Toris heard before his thin sheet of consciousness wore out, and darkness enveloped him.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Okay, so it was popular belief (and I even said) that Ivan was the one behind it all. However, it is not. This chapter has the real culprit! Most of you probably figured it out already so it won't be surprising, but still! I hope you like this chapter, this is officially one of the last ones, but be on the lookout for more! Also, I am there is a change from what is actually true regarding characters, so just a little warning. It's just relations and stuff of the like. Enjoy, and blessings on your day!**

There was a fine line between knowledge and power. Alfred had the power, but Kiku had the knowledge... Arthur and Francis knew how to feed off of those, and become a power of their own. It wasn't unusual for Alfred to come up with something, but what _was _unusual was Alfred coming up with a plan that would actually work.

"Look guys," he started, "while I was out, I ran into three people. Literally. One was a weirdo named Gilbert, one of them just ignored me, but the third one looked desperate. It was a girl, so I started talking to her, y'know, askin' what was wrong... She told me she just found out that she had an older brother who was taken many moons ago... I pressed her a little bit for more information, and she said that her parents kept photos of this other kid, and also some newspaper clippings from that time... Get this: It happened three years before Mattie disappeared. And that caught my attention. We went to the library and collected as much information as we could. Wanna know what we found?"

Alfred pulled out a folder from papers he and this girl had printed. She had to go to work, and would return home thereafter. She did her part, and Alfred assured her that her brother would be brought back to her. The contents of the folder were nothing short of depressing. Children as young as two years old, taken from home to be used for... Who knew what. Adults as old as thirty were taken. But there was a clear pattern.

"Look at all these papers," Alfred told the other three, then continuing to point to each one saying: "January 1990, three-year-old girl is brought to school, doesn't come out... April 1993, two-year-old boy is brought to his grandparents house. They go shopping, and when they leave, no boy... March 1996, Matthew is taken to hockey, and doesn't return... October 1999, two boys are taken from the park in their neighborhood... Three years later, July 2002, three boys are taken from that same place... May 2005, three boys are taken from three different cities... November 2008, an adult male leaves work for lunch... never comes back."

The others stare at the documents in sure horror. Who could do such a thing?!

Arthur was the first one to speak. "And what about Ivan? Surely he's been tried for this."

Alfred nodded, pulling yet another piece of evidence from the folder. "Ivan Braginsky is tried for the kidnapping of the 1993 case... He was twenty at the time, and was proved not guilty. The culprit was never found. In 1999, Ivan was tried again, but once again was innocent, and once more, the culprit was never found."

"Zen who did zis?" Francis was almost too afraid to ask.

"That's the thing... No one came up with clear evidence... Until February of 1996, the little girl is moved to another location, and is found. She is hospitalized, in a coma, for three years. Both her parents were dead, so custody fell into the hands of her uncle, which led to her living with her brother. Now the brother wouldn't let the police talk to her at all, until recently. The girl's name is Natalia Braginsky, in other words, Ivan's little sister."

* * *

Matthew was so happy as they trudged along the cold ground. Toris was hanging limply on Allistor's shoulders, Emil and Lukas were riding on Kumajiro, Matthew was helping Magnus keep moving, while the other guy just sorta followed. His friend was out, and that's all that mattered. But that wasn't the only thing either. Matthew knew at that moment, that his father, papa, and brother were figuring out who did this, and then no more would children be taken and held captive. No more, would the news go off saying another child was stolen from school or something to that extent. And that's what was truly a miracle.

"We're nearing the end of this place," Allistor spoke. "We'll get you all warm clothes once we reach a city. Okay?"

No one was really in the mood for arguing, but they wouldn't have anyway. They got to have clean clothes, _and _get away? They got a chance to get warm? Count them in! But were things really always that easy? No way! There was definitely troubles there in the end, and it would only further delay what was going on. It was a wonder they made it this far with only three of them dying. It was expected only a couple would be left by the time someone found them, so already they were doing the impossible. That had to be worth something, right? Yeah, well, once again, things didn't go the way they're supposed to so... Though only three of them died, two more were slowly inching their way closer and closer to death.

"Do you think we can find our families?" Emil suddenly put out there, thinking out loud. "We've been gone for so long... Do you think they still remember us? Do they even know we're alive?"

That question floated into the minds of everyone who could think right then. And the answer to that question wouldn't be known at all without first trying. And trying, was going to be the hardest thing they've ever done. Above escaping. Above enduring. Above everything they ever thought was hard.

And for the first time, Allistor noticed the other adult with the group.

"Antonio," the redhead greeted.

The Spaniard smiled, and nodded in response also saying, "I'm surprised you remember me."

"Francis likes to talk when my idiot brother is off drinking or something... I'm sorry about what happened."

Antonio laughed a little. "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault... I feel like it wouldn't have worked anyway."

Allistor was about to respond when Toris's head shot up from where it rested on his shoulder. The teen was no sooner awake, than he was trying to push himself away from the taller man. The lanky teen started screaming and coughing, shaking his head so fast. Allistor didn't even notice the others stop until Toris was successful in getting himself down, landing hard on the ground, pointing where everyone else was looking, and screaming as best he could with his dry throat.

Allistor turned around, knowing he would regret it if he didn't. His green eyes soon were looking into blue ones, and contrasting his red hair, was blond. Everything clicked, and now the only thing to do, was inform Francis and the other two.

* * *

"So how do we know where this guy is?" Arthur demanded.

"I wasn't done talking," Alfred retorted with a snotty attitude. "Natalia finally came forward with whatever she had about what happened to her... Hold on, I grabbed a copy..." Alfred fumbled with his folder a bit more before he brought out a packet of papers. Alfred cleared his throat before he read:

"I remember it... I can't forget it. I was three when I was taken... They took care of me then... But when I was six, another was brought in.  
He was brought in... He looked so scared, and he cried... He was two at the time; could barely talk coherently. We quickly became friends though... He was like the brother I never had... But the only thing that I wish I could forget about him are his screams at night. He couldn't forget what they did...  
They raped me more than once... I appreciate their kindness to use something... But I screamed every time it happened, and I can't shake the feeling...  
He always saw, always heard, always felt... My little brother was left behind while I got away... I want him back... He deserved so much more...  
They were so much harder on him... That blond man can go choke on one because he likes it in the ass. I can see the fear etched on the face of the kid...  
I want to forget it all... But I also know that's impossible. But now that you know, you better stop this now from happening again."

"So the blond Matthew was talking about was someone else?"

Alfred nodded, and pulled out a picture.

"They asked Natalia to describe the man, and this is what they came up with."

Francis gasped, and picked up the picture, showing it to the other three. "Oh my God... Zis is Gilbert's brozer!"


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Nearing the end for sure now, thank you for reading, blessings!**

Francis called Gilbert. He demanded to know why the hell Gilbert would not have said anything about it when Matthew was taken all those years ago. But now, the albino didn't say a word.

"Why did you not say anything?!" Francis shouted into the phone, very much so upset about this entire thing. He wasn't even trying to hide his anger, not even bothering to censor himself in any way. Arthur could only stare at his husband wide-eyed, wondering where the heck this was coming from. Never had he heard anything like this coming out of the Frenchman, but now that he was hearing it, it was just... He knew this was in everyone, but he definitely wasn't expecting this to come from his husband. And even though not all of it was in English, Arthur could pick out some... selected words of the guy's native tongue, and that made him take a step back. Francis was truly frightening when it came to something like this.

Francis stood there for a few moments, just looking at virtually nothing, anger seething through his very being. He just listened to what his friend had to say before he blew up again at the man. Arthur knew he had a very valid reason for being angry, but he felt like this was going a little too far. Arthur went over and put his hand on Francis' shoulder.

"We need to focus on what matters most here, Love. Matthew is safe, and we know who is behind this. We can take this to court, and everything will be fine."

"But he knew," Francis said, tears forming as the phone dropped to the floor. "Why didn't he say anything? Why?"

Alfred and Kiku stood in the back of the room, giving the two as much room as possible. They didn't know what to do, and they didn't really want to risk making Francis' blood pressure to rise any higher.

Arthur and Francis kept talking, Arthur trying desperately to keep the other from crying. Yes, it was sad... It was a low blow... It was betrayal in its simplest form. And that's why this was so hard for Francis to take. Why was betrayal so hard to deal with? Why did it hurt so badly? Oh... That's right... Because you know when your enemy is about to strike, but your friends are always unpredictable. They could turn on you at any moment, and Francis just wasn't prepared for it.

* * *

Allistor stared at the man in front of him. He looked clean, and freshly dressed. The prick didn't know what he was walking onto... And that would be a landmine. Put enough pressure in the area, and someone was going to blow up, and rest assured, it would be Allistor blowing up, but he wouldn't be the one damaged.

"What the hell do you want?"

The blond looked at his nails before sliding a glove on each hand.

"My, vhat a cold place..."

"So why are you here?"

"I heard some of my... Employees left early... I came to make sure they finished their shifts."

Allistor scoffed, "Is that what they are to you? Don't you fucking dare lie to me. I know exactly what you were doing to these people. You're a horrible, horrible person, and you need to be put behind bars where you can't hurt anyone anymore. And you can bet we'll bring in some damning evidence that will get you where you need to go for sure. They're already looking for you; we just need to bring you to the right people."

The man only laughed, pulling something small out of his pocket.

"I'm really not worried about it... Vhat do I have to be afraid of anyway?"

"Oh, there's a lot that you should be afraid of. You just don't know it yet," Allistor answered the German man.

All the while, Antonio was standing there, staring at the man. He seemed to recognize him, which mad the Spaniard want to puke. How could his best friend not know about this? And they took Matthew too? Oh, was there a lot of explaining to do.

"Ludwig... How... Why...?" Antonio's voice was lost in the questions. He didn't know why this was happening... Why Ludwig, Gilbert's little brother, would want to do anything like this. It wasn't like he needed to. He was rich, he spent his money right, and didn't waste it all. Ludwig was smart, and could get any job he wanted... So why did he choose this?

The man in front of them... Antonio didn't even think he knew him anymore. Tears rolled down Antonio's face as he realized that the Ludwig he used to know... Was consumed by this one, and there was no way of getting the old Ludwig back.

While Matthew got the others to start walking carefully around the man none of them knew, Toris couldn't move. He could only stare at the man who had taken away his freedom... All the way back then... He was two... seventeen years since he's seen freedom, and now he was staring the one who took that all away from him, in the eye. And it frightened him to no end. But he also couldn't look away.. Toris feared that if he looked away, that horrid man would be right there when he turned back around.

Toris' muscles went numb. He couldn't believe that this was the guy... He hadn't seen him for a while, but there is no way he could forget what he had done to him, to everyone he ever loved... It was just too horrible to think about, but here Toris was... Thinking about it.

Suddenly, Matthew was there, pulling Toris up by the arm. The blond teen smiled to his friend, assuring him it was okay, and that the adults would sort their business, and they would be on their way. What no one was expecting though, was for that small thing that the German had, was a gun, and his sights, were on Toris.

The brunette stumbled, unable to catch himself as he tumbled into the snow. The scarlet liquid quickly spread throughout the pure white of the gentle flakes, and for one fleeting moment, no one was able to move. That gave Ludwig a chance to get away before things became too bad for him. His only regret was not being able to hide them better for that day.

Matthew shook Toris' shoulders, begging him to just _get up. _But every attempt was useless. The other teen would soon bleed out, and wouldn't taste freedom again.

"He has to live," someone said from over with the rest of the group. "He was the one who planned this... It would be unfair if he died. For the love of God, Christ Almighty, _somebody help him!"_

Allistor and Antonio quickly sprang into action after that. There was a bullet wound that went right into the kid's back - that had to be painful. There was the issue of neither of the two being doctors as well...

"Matthew, how far until we reach a town?" Allistor asks his nephew.

Matthew peered through the hills and mounds of snow, making it look much like a cold desert. He couldn't really see anything at first... But then he saw something that gave him, and everyone else, hope.

"It's just a few miles away! I can see a clock tower!"

Allistor looked back down to the crying teen, the one who was closer to death than ever before... The one who was coughing, hacking, the one who could hardly breathe.

"We have to hurry."

"Si. He has to make it." Antonio took Toris on his back, the kid screaming. It was so painful... Physically for Toris, but mentally and emotionally for most of the others.

But two things were understood without mention by everyone in the group; they would get their freedom, and no one else was dying now. They were done losing people on the journey. But the first thing they had to do, was endure a long walk with Toris' cries of pains, begging someone to take the piercing pain away. Though it was a bloody mess, Allistor had gotten the bullet out... But it wasn't easy, nor was it safe. Toris needed help fast if he was going to live without trouble.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: This is probably going to be the second to last chapter, so one more after this! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and all that jazz, I really appreciate it. Enjoy this chapter, and blessings on your day!**

Toris had long since lost consciousness, but the others refused to give up on him. All of them had a different amount of years stuck under their belt, but that compared nothing to Toris. And it was that, that made the group keep going. There was an uneasy silence that settled in the air. It engulfed every single one of them, but they didn't give up.

Emil hugged the puffin close to his body, hoping to receive some sort of comfort, while his brothers wrapped their arms around him, and kept walking.

Matthew hardly kept his eyes staring ahead. Allistor constantly found his nephew staring at Toris with yearning eyes. Yearning eyes, full of worry.

_If Toris dies... What will I tell Raivis?_

"We need to go faster, mi amigo. He won't make it at this rate," Antonio informed Allistor, jerking the others to attention. That was a sentence they didn't want to hear... So why did they hear it? Why was it spoken? Because the truth always hurts more than a lie. At least... In that case, it did.

"We're almost there!" the guy in the back exclaimed, pointing ahead. That was it! The town was just at their fingertips! But that's the same time Allistor realized: There was no sign of life in that place.

* * *

Francis clutched the phone in his hand tightly. He just had to make one more call to make sure. One more call, and everything will be brought to light.

He scrolled down to the contact name and stopped. Was this really the smartest thing to do? Without thinking, he clicked, and pressed the thing up to his ear. Yes, it had to be done. Yes, this was the right thing to do... And yes, this would help them bring to the stand, someone who really was guilty, and who really would be punished for his wrongdoings.

"Allistor," Francis spoke softly, as to not alert his husband to what he was doing. "Is it true... Ludwig is behind it all?"

_"Apparently so... Antonio looked like he knew him... It's pretty bad on my end. I'm wondering how I have signal too."_

"Allistor, let me speak to Antonio! Please!"

There was a moment of silence, the shuffling of feet, the crunching of snow underfoot was clearly heard before Antonio's chipper voice rang through... But to Francis, it seemed a bit empty still.

_"Hola! Como esta?"_

"Muy bien, y tu?"

_"Estoy bien... Given the circumstances, at least... We were just in contact with Ludwig, but he shot one of us and bolted. We have no idea where he went either... But the closest town we stumbled upon... Doesn't seem to be inhabited... It's not looking very good right now."_

Francis couldn't help but gasp. Such a horrible thing was happening to his best friend.

"Antonio... Mon ami... Gilbert knew... He knew, but never told me a zing!"

_"Calm down, Francis. We'll see each other soon... How's Arthur doing?"_

Francis turned around to see his husband chatting with his older son. He seemed to be doing fine, but the facade wasn't there the whole time. Francis could see it breaking apart slowly, and seemingly inconspicuously, but Francis knew better. Francis knew that this was tearing Arthur apart just as much as it was him... But the Englishman was putting around himself, this barrier so that he can comfort those who couldn't take it. And Francis has never felt so lucky in his life... But at the same time, he felt bad... How was he supposed to expect Arthur to carry the sanity of the two of them all the time? He couldn't, and that was about to end.

"He's breaking... Ze ploy his put up to prevent us from seeing is decaying... I feel him tearing to pieces."

_"Go to him."_

Those were the last things Francis heard before the line went dead.

_Go to him... Go to hm... GO TO HIM._

And Francis did... He went to Arthur, and although it seemed out of the blue, the Frenchman's arms were around the bushy eyebrowed man. Yes, this was the feeling they both needed. Comfort that makes a round trip.

* * *

Antonio returned the cell phone to its owner, looking at Toris, who had been exchanged to Allistor's back so the needy Francis could be comforted. But now that that was over, a new conversation was taking place. Allistor was on the phone with someone else now, and it seemed like they were getting things figured out. But the change in tone of Allistor's voice made Antonio feel just a bit nauseous. Something wasn't right, and that something... Needed to be figured out ASAP.

After several minutes of hearing nothing but the labored breathing and the seemingly endless talking from Allistor, time itself appeared to come to a standstill. Nothing was breathing the silence until once again, the redhead spoke up.

"We've a place to stay for a little while once we get out of here... But we still need to get supplies so we can keep someone alive."

There was a pointed stare at Toris, whose breathing had been getting worse and worse as the group moved more. But now they were in the town. Now, maybe they could find something useful. Now, there was hope.

* * *

Alfred called the police, and told them exactly who they were looking for. It was only a matter of time before the guy was taken away to be tried. It was only a matter of time before the punishment he deserved, was upon him. Victory was sweet, but the taste of revenge, in Alfred's mind, had always been sweeter. But this still was not enough. It was never going to be enough, until everything was back to the way it should have been from the beginning. From the missing people, to those passed on from this... So by looking at it like that, the American would never be satisfied.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Chapter thirty here, and gone, the story comes to a close. Sorry for the extra day wait... There was a lot to put into this chapter, and I wanted to make sure I got everything right. So sorry, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy, and blessings on your life. Just a reminder about the relations having nothing to do with anything official. Longest chapter too! Must again apologize if I offend anyone with the people, just in case, I don't want anyone upset. Different times at the end, sorry. DX Anyway, once again, enjoy, and blessings!  
**

Matthew and Allistor tore the town apart looking for anything that could help them help Toris. But of course, things weren't that easy; especially when all the buildings looked the same, and there was no one there to point them in the right direction. It just made things all the more difficult, which made things even more worrisome for the duo looking for something, anything to help their fallen comrade. They really weren't expecting to find much, but they still were expecting to find _something. _But alas, nothing was found. Matthew began to search harder as the amount of houses and other buildings decreased. He refused to believe there was nothing there they could use.

"Matthew, there's only one place we haven't looked yet," Allistor spoke, looking at the smallest building in this entire town. "If there's nothing in here, Toris is done for."

"Wow... Just the pick-me-up I was looking for," Matthew commented dryly. "We better not waste anymore time than we already have, alright? C'mon."

Allistor wanted to smile at how comfortable Matthew had gotten, but given the circumstances, he knew that the kid was right. They really did need to pick up the pace a bit. But the fickle feeling that there would either be nothing in here, or only something that would hurt them in the long run in the building, would not leave Allistor.

When the redhead found his way inside breaking in the door, Matthew was nowhere in sight... Given how thin that teen is, Allistor was able to make the assumption that he had found a cracked window or something to crawl through in order to get somewhere. It was times like this Allistor also wished they had two cell phones to keep in touch... He was also starting to regret taking Matthew with him, leaving the others where they were, presumably safe, but unknown for sure... Well, it just crawled its way up Allistor's leg, and was now wringing his neck.

Allistor stood there, in the entry way, until the sharp intake of air snapped him back to what he was really supposed to be doing.

"Matthew?" he called out, slightly panicking on the inside. "Matthew, are you there? Are you hurt?"

Okay, first one was kinda a stupid question. Since when was there ever a doubt about Matthew being in the house? It was pretty clear since the beginning they go into the same building at just about the same time. But the question now hung in the air, awaiting a response from the only other occupant of the house so far, regardless of residency.

"Allistor?" Matthew's voice finally, _finally _rang back after what seemed like so many hours. "I'm here... I'm fine as well... I just stubbed my toe on something... It hurt, so I had to wait a few moments before I could start walking again... Sorry..."

Matthew was suddenly behind Allistor as the words left the blond's mouth.

"It's alright, no harm, no foul. Did you find anything?"

Out of his pocket, Matthew produced a long thread of string and a needle. "This is all I could find... Maybe we could stitch the wound... I thought perhaps that would work..."

"In theory, it's not bad, but we need to clean the wound before we stitch it. But that will definitely come in handy later, so don't lose that. Okay?"

Matthew nodded before retreating back to where he came from, rummaging through more things before coming up with nothing. Unfortunately, Allistor was having similar results, which was really bad. And it wasn't long before the entire place had been thoroughly searched through. And all hope seemed lost with just the stitching. They would need so much more than that in order for the wound to heal properly, but they just didn't have the resources for it. But as Allistor lifted his head, he saw something that caught his eye: A light. Of course he wasn't really thinking about who it could be, he had no idea! Antonio and the others were back the other way, so why was there a light there to begin with? Who was it, and what were their intentions? Those two questions raced in Allistor's mind as he went searching for his nephew again, successfully locating the blond, and having him check out the same thing.

"I think it's about time we go back to the others," Matthew suggested, looking into Allistor's eyes. "They'll start worrying if we're later than the time you told them earlier."

Allistor agreed completely, but if the person with the lantern was there for more harm than good, why would they go back? Finding out who the person was would be a good first step, so, with one last order for Matthew until the kid would turn in for the night, Allistor told Matthew to stay close, and stay quiet.

Upon closer inspection, Allistor realized who the man was, and he was, in fact, not there to hurt anyone. But the woman along with him made him a bit wary until it was explained.

* * *

Alfred tapped his foot, waiting for an update on what was going down. Maybe the police were just incompetent? Because calling someone a few countries over was hard to do now. Alfred snorted at the idea. Just pick up a phone and call. This was a serious crime, and yeah, telling the Canadian police probably wasn't the best choice. They were, after all, not included in this mess that happened a whole continent away. But this didn't stop Alfred. No sir, he was going to get this guy behind bars if it was the last thing he did. That being said, Alfred was already dialing up more numbers as the others conversed.

Francis stood, leaning on the wall, talking with Kiku and Arthur. The Japanese man was not one for words, but was rather wise as well. Francis couldn't imagine how Alfred of all people became close friends with him. They're total opposites! One is quiet and respectful, while the other is... Well, is not. Arthur didn't seemed surprised though when it came down to it.. It just didn't make sense to Francis, but Arthur had already had experience with this sort of thing, so he assumed the Englishman knew what he was talking about. But when Francis demanded an example, Arthur had simply chuckled and said, "Oh, you know them very well." and well... He sorta had to be okay with that answer.

"I've got it!" Alfred suddenly proclaimed, daisies practically streaming from his happy expression. "We can catch this guy, Ludwig, and have this entire case solved within the hour!"

"The hour?" Arthur questioned. "I hardly believe that to be possible. Despite what you believe, Alfred, the police don't work that fast. If they could, they most certainly wouldn't."

Alfred merely tutted his father. "Ah, but what if we didn't go to the police first? What if we had the leverage of this person, and we brought him in, and made him confess to his horrendous crimes against all these people? Or we brought him to court straight away, you know, we can do this in America, where -"

"Alfred, as pleasant as that sounds about what goes down in your country, I really don't care, nor will they be able to help us."

"If you would let me finish," Alfred pressed onward, undaunted by the words his father spoke. "I know a great lawyer who isn't just stuck in the States for her job."

"Her?"

"Did I freaking stutter? Of course, 'her.' Geez. But no, her name is Erika Vogel, and she will definitely get this guy what he deserves."

"Erika... Vogel..."

"You've met her once, Papa. She was the cute blonde you wanted me to date."

"She's zis lawyer?!" Francis practically shouted the question.

Alfred nodded. "Oh yes. But of course, there's her brother too that helps out, but he only brings up all the information that would be necessary to get the result we want, and then she kinda takes it from there... But the point of it is, she's from Europe initially, but she moved to the States to get better at what she did, and that's what happened, but I know she'll do this, because she also owes me a favor, and I know she'll help because she has relatives who would also be affected by this."

"Is that so?" Kiku inquired, amazed by the information his friend had.

Alfred nodded. "Damn straight. Turns out that that two-year-old kid that was taken in what was it? '93? Doesn't matter. That kid, was Toris Laurinaitis. In other words, the cousin of Erika Vogel."

* * *

The four adults sat around a small table, one oil lamp lit in the center. Thanks to the two who came, the mending of Toris' wounds went by swiftly and with ease; he would be just fine. But now they had to talk about how to defeat this common threat before it was too late for some other poor soul.

Ivan, Natalia, Allistor, and Antonio sat there, whilst the others got their much deserved and needed sleep.

"We've got people working on getting the perpetrator. We just need to know where to be, and when," Allistor informed the others before his phone went off, interrupting the little meeting they were having.

"Allistor, how much longer until you get this kid out of my house?" A familiar voice rang through the hearing end of the device.

Allistor had completely forgotten about Raivis, and felt guilty about it, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now, so he just left it, and now the plan was to just get the kid back to him somehow. The redhead laughed nervously at the tone of Victoria's voice.

"Ah... Yeah... Sorry about that, Vic... Ah... I'm not exactly in the position to getting close to being able to get him... Is he hard to handle?"

"NO! And that's what the problem is! It's either he's apologizing for something he didn't even do, or he's just standing there terrified of me!"

"Victoria, remember what he recently got away from. Just try to understand him. If you really want him to start blabbering about everything, then I suggest telling him that his friends are out, and he'll know what that means too."

"Yeah, yeah... Just hurry this up. Pretty soon, you'll be owing me again."

Allistor could practically hear her winking at him as she hung up the phone. He sighed as he turned his attention back to the table, where only Ivan and Natalia remained, as Antonio decided to turn in. He was another that needed sleep, so Allistor let it pass.

"Alright, so you know how we can drive this home? You know your way around here, and we can get somewhere safe?"

"Yes, that's correct," Natalia responded. "Listen.. I know how bad it was in there... They're going to need a while to get over it..."

She left, going to a noise that attracted her.

"I think your kid is waking up."

"I don't have a kid."

Ivan simply laughed and said, "Ah, that is best joke I've heard in long time. You're a good joke teller! I merely suggested that boy that was shot is waking. Natalia was quite attached in her time. Do you blame her for being first there?"

Allistor didn't even reply to Ivan as he followed the trail Natalia had taken to Toris. And sure enough, the kid was really awake.

"We were all worried about you. Glad you're still alive kid," Allistor said, resting his weight on the door frame.

Toris smiled, sitting up with some effort. "It hurts... I guess I know for sure I'm still alive then... We really made it..."

"Yeah, and they all have you to thank for that. Without you, I'm sure it would've taken longer... Based on what Antonio told me anyway. How does that make you feel?"

"Like there'll be more pressure on me than ever," Toris sighed.

"That's not a lie... Be afraid."

Toris' face paled at the thought... Well, there went what little color he had gotten back.

"But seriously, how are you feeling now?"

Toris groaned, laying back down slowly. "I feel awful. I hurt all over and I feel like I gotta throw up."

"Good. You've got something going... it'll be better soon, don't worry. We're going to find all your families and all that. 'Kay?"

Toris nodded. "I've been away so long..."

"They'll remember you," Natalia quickly put in. "It doesn't matter how long it's been. Okay?"

Toris didn't really know how to respond... He looked at the woman, up and down, looking as if he recognized her, but he was confused, for though she did look familiar, he could not attach anything that he would know with or about her. He opened his mouth to ask, but he felt she'd be offended, so he ended up closing it again. However, he really didn't know, and honestly, he might have a small case of amnesia for all he knows... He didn't remember his family, so what's one more person? What if this was his sister?!

_Oh Lord, please not my sister. I would be the worst brother ever if I didn't remember my own sister._

"I'm guessing you don't remember me," Natalia spoke again. "Figures... You were only two at the time we met... You've grown a lot since then, Toris."

Something just clicked for Toris then. He didn't know why, but it just did. "You're Natalia... I... I know you... You... We... They... We... You... I..."

"It's okay. Yes... They took me away, but I got away after that. It's okay. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come back. I couldn't... It was too much... I'm sorry..."

By that time, Toris was crying, Natalia gently wrapping her arms around his slim frame. She was whispering words of comfort to him, and that's when Allistor decided would be a good time to leave. Ivan was still waiting at the table, sipping whatever drink it was he brought with him. Everything would soon be over.

And over the course of that week, the others regained much of their strength, and they were soon off to finally finish this off. The shift back into real life had been rough for the group, but they got through it, and they continued on to do great things, in the names of those who were lost.

* * *

Emil was perched at the top of the house, the highest point, observing the different birds there for his assignment for the school he was now enrolled in. His parents had gladly welcomed him and Lukas and Magnus home, and now, they were leading normal lives.

Emil's ever loyal puffin was roosting at his side, and it was as if nothing had gone wrong at all. The other two were currently having a fist fight, which they called training. Lukas and Magnus were laughing loudly, clapping each other's shoulders as they retreated inside for some snacks as Emil just stayed put. This was what he always wanted... So why did it feel so wrong? Ah... There were two missing. That's what it was. Emil smiled sadly, a single tear dropping to his notebook. Then another, and more. Before he even knew it, Emil was full on crying. He missed his brothers, but he knew there was no power in the universe that could bring them back. It was hopeless.

Emil didn't even notice Lukas and Magnus climbing the roof. He didn't notice them approach him. Emil didn't know his brothers were there until four arms were suddenly around him.

"You've still got us. We've gotta live for them too... otherwise they really did die for nothing," Magnus said, and Emil could only nod, burying himself further into his brothers' embrace.

* * *

Antonio got himself back out there, and moved back to his home in Spain. He started his own grocer, with fresh fruits and veggies he grew himself in the backyard. Everything was going well for him, and even with that, he felt alone... He hadn't found his sweetheart, but it was that one day, that Antonio discovered, "hey, who said my options were limited to women?" He found this out when some brunet walked into his shop, and the Spaniard's mind said, "I'd ride that, holy shit."

And it was no longer than that week, that they started dating.

* * *

And thanks to the information Alfred had gathered, he successfully got Toris and Raivis into their home. Of course, Raivis didn't really belong there, but by then, the best option for him was to just stick with Toris, and everything was all well there. There was never any question about whether or not they would win the trial, and get Ludwig Beilshcmidt behind bars. What he did was unforgivable, and there was no way Toris was going to forget what happened any time soon, but aside from that, life was going great for them now. It was a nice change for everyone, to be home, and safe. Everyone knew that they were no longer in any danger from any threat like that, for now everyone was on the lookout for people like that.

Toris never returned to school, but he found work, and he got a good job, he learned quickly how to move up in life, and he soon became an illustrator for many authors, making official designs for people everywhere, and he loved it. The people were nice, and he got paid, which was even better. But he lost contact with everyone else, which saddened him, but he still had Raivis, and even though he didn't talk to the others, he knew that they were better off now than ever.

Raivis went back to school, and was still in his last year of high school. Toris also learned with Raivis, but didn't learn as well. But still. It counted for something.

* * *

As for Matthew, he returned to his parents and lived with them, continuing his seemingly lost hockey career. He successfully made it back into school, working hard so he could be like everyone else his age. He would eventually take the sport as far as he could go. And Alfred was there, always, every game, Matthew's older brother was there to support him, and he finally felt the love that Alfred had gotten from their parents all those years, all the love that Matthew never felt, but was always there. He felt appreciated, and this was the best thing to ever happen to him. And he loved it. He loved looking into the stands and seeing his brother, no matter how cold he was, shirtless, and something painted on him supporting Mattie's team, with Arthur shaking his head, cheering, and Francis there too, and even with them, was Allistor.

Matthew loved being home. Francis taught him more French, and Arthur taught him what it took to be English.

* * *

Ivan sat in his kitchen, looking out the window. Natalia had gone off, and he was just thinking about what all happened in the court room.

Ludwig sat over, just across. He was calm and collected. He didn't even seem like someone who would ever commit such a crime at all! However, with all the victims there, it was hard to prove his innocence. Try as he did, Ludwig just couldn't sway the judge, nor the jury. And that was it. It was that simple, a lot more so than it should have been, despite all the evidence pointing against Ludwig's plead of innocence. And Gilbert had been there, supporting his brother, who had done some unsavory things to his best friend and best friend's kid. That was something unforgivable. But it was simply that... Well... Simple. It went off without any trouble, and everyone was able to return to their lives right. That was it, the end. Right?

Yeah... it had to be. It was over. No one else was getting hurt; not anytime soon.


End file.
